JUSTICE

Ashwell Prison

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  when HMP Ashwell was first placed on the open market; and whether it is being disposed of;
	(2)  whether his Department has placed any conditions on the future use of the land as part of the disposal of HMP Ashwell;
	(3)  whether his Department will retain the receipts from the disposal of HMP Ashwell.

Jeremy Wright: The former Ashwell prison has not been placed on the open market. Rutland county council expressed an interest in purchasing the site at market value shortly after the prison closed. The proposed future use of site, including providing additional employment and the Ministry of Justice's commitment to the localism agenda meant that a mutually agreeable beneficial agreement could be reached. Heads of Terms for the sale of the land are being prepared and the sale is expected to be completed in the next few months.
	The Ministry of Justice has not placed any conditions on the use of the land as part of its disposal. However, the development of the site will be subject to the usual planning regulations.
	The receipts from the sale of the site will be retained by the Ministry of Justice and contribute towards its Asset Realisation programme target of raising £300 million in capital receipts over the 2010 spending review period.

Atos

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, columns 672-3W, on Atos, whether he has made an estimate of the level of profit Atos will make from each contract; and what the likely level of profit is for each.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice has contracts with Atos, however the information regarding the profit estimates of these contracts is information that is deemed to be commercially sensitive and would therefore not be released into the public domain.

Family Proceedings

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many family court proceedings relating to care and supervision cases took longer than (a) six, (b) 12 and (c) 18 months since May 2010.

Helen Grant: For the period 1 January 2011 to 30 June 2012 (the latest date for which information is available), the total number of disposals relating to care and supervision cases in all courts in England and Wales was 27,437. Of these, the number that took longer than (a) six months was 23,900, (b) 12 months was 12,635 and (c) 18 months was 4,804.
	Comparable information for the period May to December 2010 is not available centrally. This is because prior to 2011, some family proceedings courts provided their data on summary returns which did not include the time breakdowns requested above, and did not distinguish all the valid disposal types used in the current methodology.

Family Proceedings

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the Family Justice Review, what resources he will provide to the family justice system to ensure that family cases relating to care and supervision take no longer than six months.

Jeremy Wright: The interim report of the Family Justice Review, published in March 2011, stated that more resources were not the answer to improving the family justice system. Rather, there was a clear need for a more coherent set of arrangements with a defined system owner. That is why the Family Justice Board, chaired by David Norgrove and comprising senior figures from core family justice agencies, was established. The board provides leadership and drives performance improvements across the family justice system in both public and private law cases. This includes making progress towards the 26 week time limit for care and supervision cases. 46 Local Family Justice Boards have also been established to bring together all parts of the family justice system on a local level to focus on actions to improve performance. We are also legislating to maximise efficiencies and remove the bureaucratic processes connected with the renewal of Interim Care Orders and Interim Supervision Orders, which will contribute to ensuring the new time limit can be achieved.

Homicide: Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen the law on (a) release on licence for murderers and (b) bail pending further enquiries for suspected murder or manslaughter.

Jeremy Wright: We have no current plans to change the release test for offenders serving life sentences for murder. The Parole Board will not release any prisoner serving a life sentence unless it is satisfied that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that the prisoner should be confined.
	The Government has no plans to amend the law in relation to the release of suspects on police bail pending further inquiries. The strict time limits in place for pre-charge detention recognise that, while the arrested individual is suspected of committing a serious crime, he or she is nonetheless innocent until proven guilty by a court.
	When a suspect has been charged with murder, the decision whether to remand in custody or on bail must be made by a judge of the Crown court. Moreover, a change in the law that will come into force before the end of the year will enable the prosecution to appeal to a High Court judge against a Crown court decision to grant bail.

HMP Oakwood

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many weeks' training is given to staff at HM Prison Oakwood annually.

Jeremy Wright: The prison opened on 24 April 2012 and the following information relates to its first six months of operation. Before beginning work at the prison, all residential and operational prisoner custody officers attend an eight-week initial training course, followed by a further two weeks based at another establishment. Selected officers receive further training in specialist skills.

HMP Oakwood

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what clothing is supplied to prisoners in HM Prison Oakwood.

Jeremy Wright: All prisoners receive, if required, a full allocation of prisoner clothing. This includes two T-shirts, two jerseys, two tracksuit bottoms, underwear, socks, footwear for the shower and, if required, other footwear. Prisoners who have attained the "standard" or "enhanced" level of the Incentives and Earned Privileges scheme are permitted to wear their own clothing.
	The prison provides the appropriate personal protection equipment needed for work. This includes warm outdoor wear, such as hats and waterproofs, for those undertaking external work.

Prison Governors

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison governors previously employed by the public sector have taken up employment in private prisons since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: Four in charge or governing governors are known to have left the service since May 2010 and taken up a director role (equivalent to a Prison Governor in the Public Sector) in a prison operated by the private sector. One of these did so under TUPE arrangements.

Prisoners' Release

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how long each prisoner waited in the 10 cases where a prisoner has had the longest wait beyond their eligibility date to have their Home Detention Curfew application reviewed;
	(2)  how many Home Detention Curfew applications have been made in line with the Prison Service Order timetable in each young offender institution in England and Wales in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: It is not possible to answer either of these questions because the Ministry of Justice does not collect data on the various stages of the assessment process under the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme. Data on the releases made under the scheme are collected and published regularly in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics on the Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation
	Prison Service Order 6700 suggests a procedural timetable to encourage establishments to meet the aim of releasing eligible and suitable prisoners on or as soon after the HDC eligibility date as possible. Meeting the timetable is not a requirement and progress of each case against each stage is not monitored centrally. It is, however, a requirement that no release on HDC may take place until each of the relevant eligibility and suitability criteria have been met.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners were repatriated, by nation of origin, in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date.

Jeremy Wright: From 1 January 2011 to 10 October 2012 a total of 62 foreign national prisoners have been repatriated from England and Wales to continue serving custodial sentences. Of these, 61 were transferred to their country of nationality, and one foreign national was transferred to a country other than his country of nationality. In addition to the 62 foreign national prisoners who were repatriated, one British national was repatriated to his country of residence.
	The following table sets out the countries to which the prisoners were transferred.
	
		
			 Country 2011 2012 
			 Belgium 1 — 
			 Bermuda 1 — 
			 Brazil — 1 
			 Cayman Islands 1 — 
			 Cyprus — 1 
			 Czech Republic 4 1 
			 Ecuador 1 — 
			 France — 1 
			 Germany 1 — 
			 Greece 1 — 
			 India 1 — 
			 Lithuania — 3 
			 Netherlands 11 14 
			 Nigeria — 1 
			 Norway 1 — 
			 Poland 1 — 
			 Portugal 1 1 
			 Republic of Ireland — 3 
			 Romania — 1 
			 Spain 2 — 
			 Sri Lanka 1 — 
			 Switzerland — 1 
			 Turkey 4 1 
			 Ukraine — 1 
			 Total 32 30 
		
	
	For the purpose of answering this question “country of origin” has been taken to mean “country of nationality”.
	The numbers reported here are drawn from a Prison Service case tracking system. Care is taken when processing these cases but the figures may subject to inaccuracies associated with any recording system.

Prisons: Food

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what health and safety training and equipment is given to prisoners responsible for serving food.

Jeremy Wright: Food hygiene law requires the “food business operator” (in the case of a prison, the governor or director) to ensure that
	"food handlers are supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity".
	The training and equipment provided will depend upon the nature of the particular task or tasks.

Prisons: Marketing

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his Department's total budgeted cost for the prisons marketisation process is.

Jeremy Wright: The Department has £4.3 million budget currently allocated to the prison competition programme in 2012-13.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff employed by Essex Probation were (a) suspended and (b) dismissed for misusing the government procurement card in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09, (iii) 2009-10, (iv) 2010-11, (v) 2011-12 and (vi) 2012-13 to date.

Jeremy Wright: No Essex Probation Trust staff have been suspended or dismissed for misuse of a procurement card.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps Essex Probation (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in each of the next two years to reduce the theft of government procurement cards issued to its employees; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Usage of the card is regularly monitored and security measures are in place to prevent theft. To date, no Essex Probation procurement cards have been stolen.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on how many members of the public have attended each meeting of the Essex Probation Board in each of the last six years for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: One member of the public attended a board meeting of the Essex Probation Trust in 2012.
	No members of the public attended board meetings of the Trust or its predecessor body, the Essex Probation Board, in the previous five years.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of Essex Probation's government procurement card transaction data including (a) transaction date, (b) merchant and (c) amount in value for each item of expenditure incurred in the last 36 months for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: When Essex Probation Trust has provided us with the requested information, I will arrange for the requested information to be placed in the House Library.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2012, Official Report, column 636W, on probation: Essex, if he will place in the Library copies of the information released by Essex Probation under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Mrs Grant), on 19 October 2012, Official Report, column 498W.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and which files were sent to the National Archives by Essex Probation Trust in each of the last 10 years for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Essex Probation Trust is not required to transfer records to the National Archives and has not done so.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent reports he has received on the morale of probation officers in Essex Probation; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: No recent representations have been received in relation to the morale of probation officers in Essex Probation Trust.

Property: Boundary Disputes

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many legal cases concerning property boundary disputes entered the courts between (a) January and December 2010 and (b) January and December 2011;
	(2)  how many legal cases concerning property boundary disputes were the subject of judgments between (a) January 2010 and (b) January and December 2011.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice does not hold figures centrally which specifically relate to property boundary disputes. This is because the administrative computer systems used in courts do not presently identify this specific dispute type. While the relevant cases will be logged on the system, they cannot be distinguished from other types of actions brought to court. Obtaining the information requested would require the inspection of individual case files at disproportionate cost.

Prostitution: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of controlling prostitutes for gain in the Lancashire Constabulary area in 2011.

Jeremy Wright: The court proceedings database shows that there were no convictions for controlling prostitutes for gain in the Lancashire police force area in calendar year 2011.

Reoffenders: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many (a) males and (b) females in the Essex Probation Trust area, by age, subsequently reoffended in each of the last five years for which information is available;
	(2)  what the 10 most frequent offences committed by (a) males and (b) females on probation within Essex Probation Trust were in each of the last three years, by age group; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Tables 1 and 2 present the number of adult (aged 18 or over) male and female offenders by age band that commenced a court order that was supervised by Essex Probation Trust in each of the years 2005 to 2009 (the latest calendar year available). Also presented are the number that reoffended in the one-year follow-up period, and proven reoffending rates (i.e. the proportion of the offenders who reoffended in a one-year follow-up period).
	It is not possible to provide the top 10 re-offences committed by offenders at any time while under probation supervision because the Ministry's reoffending data measure reoffending of offenders within 12 months of commencing a court order. This will not include all re-offences while under court order supervision because (a) some orders last less than 12 months so an offender may no longer be under supervision at the time of committing the re-offence; and (b) some court orders last more than 12 months and the reoffending measure will not pick up any re-offences committed in months 13 and beyond.
	Tables 3 and 4 provide the top 10 re-offences by age committed by offenders within 12 months of commencing their court order that were supervised by Essex Probation Trust in each year from 2007 to 2009.
	Data for 2010 will be published on 25 October 2012.
	Proven reoffending is defined as an offence that is committed within a one-year follow-up period resulting in receiving a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning. A further six-month waiting period is allowed for cases to progress through the courts.
	
		
			 Table 1: One year reoffending rate for males commencing a court order in Essex Probation Trust, 2005-09 
			  Age band Number in cohort Number of reoffenders Reoffending rate 
			 2005 18 to 20 482 180 37.3 
			  21 to 24 432 145 33.6 
			  25 to 29 416 131 31.5 
			  30 to 34 357 107 30.0 
			  35 to 39 311 83 26.7 
			  40 to 44 224 43 19.2 
			  45 to 49 123 31 25.2 
			  50+ 166 25 15.1 
			  Total 2,511 745 29.7 
			      
			 2006 18 to 20 554 226 40.8 
		
	
	
		
			  21 to 24 540 173 32.0 
			  25 to 29 490 148 30.2 
			  30 to 34 398 134 33.7 
			  35 to 39 377 119 31.6 
			  40 to 44 243 50 20.6 
			  45 to 49 156 35 22.4 
			  50+ 196 33 16.8 
			  Total 2,954 918 31.1 
			      
			 2007 18 to 20 575 243 42.3 
			  21 to 24 606 218 36.0 
			  25 to 29 527 216 41.0 
			  30 to 34 403 137 34.0 
			  35 to 39 407 115 28.3 
			  40 to 44 302 91 30.1 
			  45 to 49 202 44 21.8 
			  50+ 223 31 13.9 
			  Total 3,245 1,095 33.7 
			      
			 2008 18 to 20 557 240 43.1 
			  21 to 24 576 225 39.1 
			  25 to 29 556 188 33.8 
			  30 to 34 410 139 33.9 
			  35 to 39 364 111 30.5 
			  40 to 44 298 96 32.2 
			  45 to 49 177 45 25.4 
			  50+ 194 32 16.5 
			  Total 3,132 1,076 34.4 
			      
			 2009 18 to 20 642 270 42.1 
			  21 to 24 635 222 35.0 
			  25 to 29 566 198 35.0 
			  30 to 34 401 141 35.2 
			  35 to 39 369 103 27.9 
			  40 to 44 320 72 22.5 
			  45 to 49 201 49 24.4 
			  50+ 230 33 14.3 
			  Total 3,364 1,088 32.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: One year reoffending rate for females commencing a court order in Essex Probation Trust, 2005-09 
			  Age band Number in cohort Number of reoffenders Reoffending rate 
			 2005 18 to 20 83 23 27.7 
			  21 to 24 80 23 28.8 
			  25 to 29 66 28 42.4 
			  30 to 34 77 19 24.7 
			  35 to 39 79 12 15.2 
			  40 to 44 59 12 20.3 
			  45 to 49 31 4 12.9 
			  50+ 25 3 12.0 
			  Total 500 124 24.8 
			      
		
	
	
		
			 2006 18 to 20 90 37 41.1 
			  21 to 24 70 21 30.0 
			  25 to 29 96 29 30.2 
			  30 to 34 98 24 24.5 
			  35 to 39 80 16 20.0 
			  40 to 44 83 16 19.3 
			  45 to 49 29 5 17.2 
			  50+ 26 1 3.8 
			  Total 572 149 26.0 
			      
			 2007 18 to 20 106 39 36.8 
			  21 to 24 89 27 30.3 
			  25 to 29 95 32 33.7 
			  30 to 34 92 27 29.3 
			  35 to 39 86 20 23.3 
			  40 to 44 88 19 21.6 
			  45 to 49 43 11 25.6 
			  50+ 39 4 10.3 
			  Total 638 179 28.1 
			      
			 2008 18 to 20 100 28 28.0 
			  21 to 24 95 30 31.6 
			  25 to 29 103 35 34.0 
			  30 to 34 92 28 30.4 
			  35 to 39 74 13 17.6 
			  40 to 44 74 15 20.3 
			  45 to 49 55 13 23.6 
			  50+ 34 2 5.9 
			  Total 627 164 26.2 
			      
			 2009 18 to 20 82 26 31.7 
			  21 to 24 97 30 30.9 
			  25 to 29 132 46 34.8 
			  30 to 34 112 39 34.8 
			  35 to 39 95 19 20.0 
			  40 to 44 84 10 11.9 
			  45 to 49 63 13 20.6 
			  50+ 41 4 9.8 
			  Total 706 187 26.5 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: The top 10 re-offences committed by males commencing a court order in Essex Probation Trust, 2007-09 
			 2007 
			 Age band Offence Number of offences 
			 18 to 20 Violence-non serious 97 
			  Other Motoring Offences 62 
			  Theft 62 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 56 
			  Public Order or Riot 49 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 42 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 40 
		
	
	
		
			  Taking and Driving Away and Related Offences 15 
			  Domestic Burglary 12 
			  Robbery 11 
			    
			 21 to 24 Other Motoring Offences 90 
			  Violence-non serious 88 
			  Theft 56 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 49 
			  Public Order or Riot 49 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 39 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 27 
			  Other Burglary 15 
			  Taking and Driving Away and Related Offences 14 
			  Drink Driving Offences 12 
			    
			 25 to 29 Violence-non serious 96 
			  Theft 87 
			  Other Motoring Offences 78 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 38 
			  Public Order or Riot 36 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 34 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 33 
			  Drink Driving Offences 15 
			  Domestic Burglary 10 
			  Fraud and Forgery 6 
			    
			 30 to 34 Theft 105 
			  Violence-non serious 49 
			  Other Motoring Offences 38 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 30 
			  Public Order or Riot 21 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 18 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 16 
			  Fraud and Forgery 11 
			  Drink Driving Offences 9 
			  Other Burglary 5 
			    
			 35 to 39 Theft 56 
			  Violence-non serious 46 
			  Other Motoring Offences 39 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 16 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 15 
			  Public Order or Riot 13 
			  Drink Driving Offences 10 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 7 
			  Drugs (Import/Export/Production/Supply) 5 
			  Other Burglary 5 
			    
		
	
	
		
			 40 to 44 Other Motoring Offences 31 
			  Violence-non serious 30 
			  Public Order or Riot 25 
			  Theft 19 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 13 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 13 
			  Drink Driving Offences 10 
			  Fraud and Forgery 9 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 8 
			  Taking and Driving Away and Related Offences 4 
			    
			 45 to 49 Theft 23 
			  Violence-non serious 13 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 8 
			  Public Order or Riot 8 
			  Other Motoring Offences 6 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 5 
			  Drink Driving Offences 3 
			    
			 50+ Theft 12 
			  Other Motoring Offences 11 
			  Violence-non serious 10 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 7 
			  Public Order or Riot 7 
			  Fraud and Forgery 4 
			  Drink Driving Offences 4 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 3 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 2 
			  Sexual 1 
			  
		
	
	
		
			 2008 
			 Age band Offence Number of offences 
			 18 to 20 Violence-non serious 99 
			  Other Motoring Offences 67 
			  Public Order or Riot 48 
			  Theft 47 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 43 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 39 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 26 
			  Domestic Burglary 18 
			  Taking and Driving Away and Related Offences 17 
			  Fraud and Forgery 17 
			    
			 21 to 24 Violence-non serious 100 
			  Theft 87 
			  Other Motoring Offences 61 
			  Public Order or Riot 42 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 38 
		
	
	
		
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 31 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 31 
			  Fraud and Forgery 18 
			  Drugs (Import/Export/Production/Supply) 16 
			  Drink Driving Offences 10 
			    
			 25 to 29 Violence-non serious 90 
			  Theft 87 
			  Public Order or Riot 56 
			  Other Motoring Offences 33 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 33 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 33 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 29 
			  Domestic Burglary 12 
			  Other Burglary 8 
			  Drugs (Import/Export/Production/Supply) 8 
			  Drink Driving Offences 8 
			    
			 30 to 34 Theft 81 
			  Violence-non serious 41 
			  Other Motoring Offences 32 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 23 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 19 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 17 
			  Public Order or Riot 15 
			  Drink Driving Offences 12 
			  Other Burglary 9 
			  Handling 7 
			    
			 35 to 39 Violence-non serious 55 
			  Theft 49 
			  Other Motoring Offences 27 
			  Public Order or Riot 25 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 15 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 13 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 11 
			  Other Burglary 5 
			  Fraud and Forgery 4 
			  Handling 4 
			    
			 40 to 44 Violence-non serious 43 
			  Theft 37 
			  Other Motoring Offences 37 
			  Public Order or Riot 16 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 14 
			  Drink Driving Offences 12 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 11 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 10 
			  Other Burglary 6 
		
	
	
		
			  Drugs (Import/Export/Production/Supply) 2 
			  Taking and Driving Away and Related Offences 2 
			    
			 45 to 49 Theft 16 
			  Public Order or Riot 15 
			  Violence-non serious 14 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 7 
			  Other Motoring Offences 6 
			  Drink Driving Offences 3 
			  Sexual 2 
			  Other Burglary 2 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 1 
			  Fraud and Forgery 1 
			  Handling 1 
			  Domestic Burglary 1 
			  Taking and Driving Away and Related Offences 1 
			    
			 50+ Public Order or Riot 21 
			  Violence-non serious 19 
			  Drugs (Import/Export/Production/Supply) 17 
			  Theft 14 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 7 
			  Other Motoring Offences 6 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 5 
			  Sexual 3 
			  Fraud and Forgery 2 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 2 
			  Drink Driving Offences 2 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 
			 Age band Offence Number of offences 
			 18 to 20 Violence-non serious 81 
			  Other Motoring Offences 58 
			  Public Order or Riot 56 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 47 
			  Theft 45 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 39 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 36 
			  Fraud and Forgery 29 
			  Domestic Burglary 22 
			  Other Burglary 11 
			    
			 21 to 24 Other Motoring Offences 63 
			  Violence-non serious 61 
			  Theft 55 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 47 
			  Public Order or Riot 36 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 26 
		
	
	
		
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 23 
			  Drink Driving Offences 12 
			  Fraud and Forgery 12 
			  Domestic Burglary 9 
			    
			 25 to 29 Theft 123 
			  Violence-non serious 66 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 41 
			  Public Order or Riot 38 
			  Other Motoring Offences 33 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 32 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 28 
			  Drink Driving Offences 11 
			  Fraud and Forgery 9 
			  Taking and Driving Away and Related Offences 7 
			    
			    
			 30 to 34 Theft 76 
			  Violence-non serious 43 
			  Other Motoring Offences 40 
			  Public Order or Riot 32 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 20 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 18 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 10 
			  Fraud and Forgery 6 
			  Drink Driving Offences 5 
			  Other Burglary 5 
			    
			 35 to 39 Theft 55 
			  Violence-non serious 41 
			  Public Order or Riot 16 
			  Other Motoring Offences 11 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 10 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 9 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 9 
			  Drink Driving Offences 4 
			  Fraud and Forgery 3 
			  Other Burglary 3 
			    
			 40 to 44 Theft 23 
			  Violence-non serious 17 
			  Public Order or Riot 16 
			  Other Motoring Offences 14 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 11 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 8 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 5 
			  Fraud and Forgery 4 
			  Domestic Burglary 3 
			  Sexual 3 
			    
		
	
	
		
			 45 to 49 Violence-non serious 27 
			  Public Order or Riot 15 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 13 
			  Other Motoring Offences 7 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 4 
			  Theft 3 
			  Drink Driving Offences 3 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 3 
			  Other Burglary 1 
			  Domestic Burglary 1 
			    
			 50+ Violence-non serious 18 
			  Public Order or Riot 10 
			  Theft 9 
			  Sexual 4 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 3 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 3 
			  Handling 1 
			  Other Motoring Offences 1 
			  Drink Driving Offences 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 4: The top 10 re-offences committed by females commencing a court order in Essex Probation Trust, 2007-09 
			 2007 
			 Age band Offence Number of offences 
			 18 to 20 Violence-non serious 21 
			  Theft 20 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 8 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 6 
			  Fraud and Forgery 5 
			  Public Order or Riot 5 
			  Other Motoring Offences 4 
			  Drink Driving Offences 2 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 2 
			  Handling 2 
			  Taking and Driving Away and Related Offences 2 
			    
			 21 to 24 Theft 19 
			  Violence-non serious 13 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 6 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 2 
			  Other Motoring Offences 2 
			  Public Order or Riot 2 
			  Fraud and Forgery 1 
			    
			 25 to 29 Theft 30 
			  Violence-non serious 12 
			  Other Motoring Offences 8 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 7 
			  Public Order or Riot 4 
			  Fraud and Forgery 2 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 2 
		
	
	
		
			  Drink Driving Offences 2 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 1 
			  Taking and Driving Away and Related Offences 1 
			  Handling 1 
			    
			 30 to 34 Theft 21 
			  Violence-non serious 14 
			  Other Motoring Offences 9 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 5 
			  Fraud and Forgery 3 
			  Public Order or Riot 3 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 2 
			  Drink Driving Offences 2 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 1 
			  Handling 1 
			  Taking and Driving Away and Related Offences 1 
			    
			 35 to 39 Theft 10 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 8 
			  Public Order or Riot 7 
			  Violence-non serious 5 
			  Other Motoring Offences 3 
			  Fraud and Forgery 3 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 3 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 2 
			  Drugs (Import/Export/Production/Supply) 2 
			  Drink Driving Offences 1 
			    
			 40 to 44 Theft 20 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 7 
			  Public Order or Riot 5 
			  Violence-non serious 5 
			  Other Motoring Offences 1 
			  Fraud and Forgery 1 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 1 
			  Drink Driving Offences 1 
			    
			 45 to 49 Theft 4 
			  Violence-non serious 3 
			  Other Motoring Offences 3 
			  Drink Driving Offences 2 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 2 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 1 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 1 
			    
			 50+ Violence-non serious 5 
			  Public Order or Riot 1 
		
	
	
		
			 2008 
			 Age band Offence Number of offences 
			 18 to 20 Violence-non serious 10 
			  Public Order or Riot 9 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 5 
			  Theft 4 
			  Other Motoring Offences 3 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 3 
			  Fraud and Forgery 1 
			  Handling 1 
			  Theft from Vehicles 1 
			    
			 21 to 24 Theft 16 
			  Violence-non serious 9 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 8 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 7 
			  Fraud and Forgery 5 
			  Public Order or Riot 4 
			  Violence-serious 2 
			  Robbery 2 
			    
			 25 to 29 Theft 47 
			  Violence-non serious 17 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 12 
			  Public Order or Riot 7 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 3 
			  Handling 3 
			  Drink Driving Offences 3 
			  Domestic Burglary 2 
			  Other Motoring Offences 2 
			  Taking and Driving Away and Related Offences 1 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 1 
			  Fraud and Forgery 1 
			    
			 30 to 34 Theft 22 
			  Other Motoring Offences 10 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 8 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 6 
			  Violence-non serious 6 
			  Fraud and Forgery 4 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 3 
			  Public Order or Riot 2 
			  Drugs (Import/Export/Production/Supply) 2 
			  Drink Driving Offences 2 
			    
			 35 to 39 Theft 6 
			  Drink Driving Offences 2 
			  Fraud and Forgery 1 
			  Public Order or Riot 1 
			  Handling 1 
			    
			 40 to 44 Theft 9 
		
	
	
		
			  Violence-non serious 8 
			  Public Order or Riot 2 
			  Other Motoring Offences 2 
			  Drink Driving Offences 1 
			    
			 45 to 49 Theft 9 
			  Violence-non serious 4 
			  Other Motoring Offences 2 
			  Drink Driving Offences 2 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 2 
			  Public Order or Riot 1 
			    
			 50+ Public Order or Riot 1 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 
			 Age band Offence Number of offences 
			 18 to 20 Theft 14 
			  Violence-non serious 12 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 3 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 2 
			  Public Order or Riot 2 
			  Handling 1 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 1 
			  Theft from Vehicles 1 
			    
			 21 to 24 Theft 11 
			  Violence-non serious 5 
			  Drugs (Import/Export/Production/Supply) 4 
			  Public Order or Riot 4 
			  Other Motoring Offences 1 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 1 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 1 
			  Drink Driving Offences 1 
			  Robbery 1 
			    
			 25 to 29 Theft 45 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 12 
			  Violence-non serious 10 
			  Public Order or Riot 8 
			  Fraud and Forgery 6 
			  Other Motoring Offences 3 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 3 
			  Drink Driving Offences 2 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 1 
			  Taking and Driving Away and Related Offences 1 
			    
			 30 to 34 Theft 21 
			  Violence-non serious 12 
			  Public Order or Riot 9 
			  Handling 4 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 4 
		
	
	
		
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 2 
			  Other Motoring Offences 2 
			    
			 35 to 39 Theft 13 
			  Violence-non serious 6 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 3 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 2 
			  Other Motoring Offences 2 
			  Public Order or Riot 2 
			  Fraud and Forgery 1 
			  Drink Driving Offences 1 
			    
			 40 to 44 Theft 5 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 4 
			  Public Order or Riot 2 
			  Violence-non serious 1 
			    
			 45 to 49 Theft 14 
			  Violence-non serious 4 
			  Public Order or Riot 2 
			  Criminal or Malicious Damage 2 
			  Drugs (Possession/Small Scale Supply) 2 
			  Drink Driving Offences 1 
			  Absconding or Bail Offences 1 
			  Fraud and Forgery 1 
			    
			 50+ Other Motoring Offences 4

Reoffenders: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps Essex Probation Trust has (a) taken and (b) plans to take in each of the next two years to reduce reoffending; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Essex Probation Trust has this year established an Integrated Offender Management project, which involves the trust working together with Essex police to deliver responses to reduce re-offending among a group of persistent offenders.
	“The Bridge” project, in which the trust is a key partner, aims to break the re-offending habits of offenders facing short-term imprisonment. It works with offenders who are difficult to engage with and have a history of poor compliance with community sentences.
	The trust is also involved in the Essex Whole-Place Community Budget Pilot, launched earlier this year, which aims to reduce re-offending through preventive work with offenders and their families.

Departmental Staff

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the names are of staff of his Department and the bodies for which he is responsible in paybands SCS1, SCS2 and SCS3 who have left his Department and taken up employment with G4S, Serco, Sodexo or Mitie since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: I can confirm that applications under the Business Appointment Rules (BAR) process were authorised for the following: one payband SCS3 to take up employment as an independent consultant for G4S; one payband SCS2 to take up employment to work for Sodexo; one payband SCS2 to take up employment to work for G4S and one payband SCS1 to take up employment with G4S since May 2010.
	Where appropriate, restrictions were placed on the activities individuals could undertake in their new employment. For example, as a general principle, there is a two year ban on civil servants at SCS3 and above lobbying Government (including Ministers, special advisers and officials) on behalf of their new employer after leaving the civil service.
	Since April 2012 there have been no applications from individuals in paybands SCS1, SCS2 and SCS3 to work for any of these companies.
	I can release the details of the payband SCS3 because his name has previously been released—he is Philip Wheatley, previously Director General of the National Offender Management Service.
	Under the Data Protection Act, it is not appropriate for me to disclose the names of the other individuals I refer to in my answer.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the total deployable collective protection capacity of the armed forces with regard to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

Andrew Robathan: The chemical biological radiological nuclear (CBRN) protection capability of the armed forces is regularly assessed and the results of these assessments are classified. The priority for Defence is the CBRN protection of the individual and this is achieved through specialised CBRN personal protective equipment. Specific platforms within Defence have inbuilt elements of collective protection.

Armed Forces

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what mobile decontamination facilities the armed forces could provide in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incident;
	(2)  what support the armed forces provide for deployable mobile decontamination to the civil power in cases of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents; and what capacity for such decontamination there is.

Andrew Robathan: Defence maintains specialist and generalist mobile decontamination capabilities, and individual personnel deploy with personal decontamination capability. All Defence decontamination capability is optimised for military operations.
	The emergency services are the recognised primary responders in the event of a chemical biological radiological nuclear (CBRN) event in the UK. If requested, Defence could deploy its CBRN decontamination capability to assist the civil powers under military aid to the civil authority (MACA) arrangements.

Armed Forces: Business Appointments

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the specific remit is of the investigation to look into accusations of senior military personnel breaking the guidelines of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments;
	(2)  when the investigation into accusations of former senior military personnel breaking rules set by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments will (a) start, (b) finish and (c) be published;
	(3)  how many of his Department's staff will work on the investigation into accusations of former senior military personnel breaking Advisory Committee on Business Appointments rules;
	(4)  who will be responsible for producing the findings of the investigation into accusations of former senior military personnel breaking Advisory Council on Business Appointments rules.

Philip Hammond: Ministry of Defence officials are reviewing the access that six retired officers specifically named in a Sunday Times article had to the Department after they left the armed forces and whether any rules on business appointments have been broken.
	The results will be considered by the permanent secretary and myself in due course and any concerns reported to Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

Army: Recruitment

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the 10 infantry battalions which have the most soldiers recruited on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: The Army keeps recruitment levels of all Infantry battalions under constant review as part of the process of informing the allocation of recruits to units.
	Manning levels change over time in response to a number of factors, including inflow, outflow and operational requirements.

BAE Systems

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to provide support for Clyde shipyard employees who may be adversely affected by uncertainty surrounding the future of BAE Systems.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) expects the Terms of Business Agreement between the MOD and BAE Systems Maritime-Naval Ships (BAES MNS) to provide a strong foundation for the company to compete for non-MOD work, both in the UK and throughout the world. It will be for BAES MNS, however, to retain the capacity it deems necessary in order to meet the demands made of it and to transform the sector as it deems appropriate.
	Questions regarding the future of the different shipbuilding yards and the support provided to employees are therefore a matter for the company involved.

Libya: Military Intervention

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the average cost of a single sortie by a Tornado to Libyan airspace during Operation Ellamy.

Andrew Robathan: Sorties to Libyan airspace during Operation ELLAMY were mounted from RAF Marham and Gioia Del Colle airbase in Italy. The average cost of a single 5½ hour sortie by a Tornado GR4 to Libyan airspace was as follows:
	Marginal cost: £27,000
	This figure includes launches from both locations and is based on capitation rates and rounded to the nearest thousand pounds.

NSA Menwith Hill

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether members of the Intelligence and Security Committee have complete access to all areas of the operations area of NSA Menwith Hill; and when (a) he and (b) any other Minister last visited NSA Menwith Hill.

Andrew Robathan: The Intelligence and Security Committee does not comment on the details of its work programme. Where appropriate it publishes information on visits it has undertaken in its Annual Reports.
	The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has not visited RAF Menwith Hill to date.
	The last ministerial visit to the Base was in August 2011 by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many crashes there have been with the Elbit Systems Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in (a) the UK and (b) Afghanistan;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the training provided to those who fly the Elbit Systems Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

Andrew Robathan: The Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is not flown in the UK nor have there been any crashes in the UK.
	Since 2007 there have been 11 Hermes 450 crashes in Afghanistan.
	An end-to-end review for army unmanned aerial systems training has recently been conducted which reported at the end of September 2012. As a result, several changes have already been made to unmanned aerial systems training to increase airmanship standards in a number of areas, with further improvements to follow.

Warships

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of operating a (a) Type 23, (b) Type 42 and (c) Type 45 vessel was in the last year for which figures are available; and what the estimated annual cost of operating a Type 26 vessel is.

Philip Dunne: The operating costs for the Type 23 class of frigates and the Type 42 and Type 45 classes of destroyer are shown in the following table. The figures are based on the cost of fuel, manpower and support costs including maintenance, repair and equipment spares.
	
		
			 Platform/Class Number of ships in service throughout financial year (FY) 2011-12 Total operating cost for FY 2011-12 for the Class (£ Million) 
			 Type 23 Frigates 13 229 
			 Type 42 Destroyers (1)3 55 
			 Type 45 Destroyers (2)2 101 
			 (1) On 1 April 2011, four of an original class of 16 Type 42 destroyers (HM Ships Liverpool, York, Gloucester and Edinburgh) remained in service. This number reduced to three when HMS Gloucester was de-commissioned on 30 June 2011. Accordingly, the total operating cost of the ship only includes the cost of the fuel and manpower for the three ships that remained in service for the whole of FY 2011-12. (2) On 1 April 2011, the first two Type 45 destroyers (HM Ships Daring and Dauntless) were in service. The third vessel in the class, HMS Diamond, was commissioned on 12 July 2011. Accordingly, the total operating cost of the ship only includes the cost of the fuel and manpower for the two ships that were in service for the whole of FY2011-12. 
		
	
	The Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme is currently in its assessment phase. It will not be possible to provide an estimate of the annual operating cost of the class until this phase has completed and the main investment decision has been taken. This decision is currently scheduled for the middle of the decade.

HEALTH

Ambulance Services: East of England

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met the chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service to discuss ambulance cover across the east of England region.

Anna Soubry: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has not met with the chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service, Mr Hayden Newton, to discuss ambulance cover across the east of England.

Arthritis

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources his Department has allocated to support clinical commissioning for rheumatoid arthritis in (a) England and (b) Worcestershire.

Daniel Poulter: National health service resources are currently allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of a national weighted capitation formula which is used to determine each PCTs target share of available resources, to enable them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations. Funding to support clinical commissioning for rheumatoid arthritis is included in current PCT resource allocations.
	Total revenue investment in the NHS in 2012-13 grew to £105.2 billion. £91.6 billion went directly to PCTs for frontline services in 2012-13—an increase of more than £2.5 billion in cash from last year, a 2.8%, increase in total revenue allocations.
	Worcestershire PCT received a total revenue allocation in 2012-13 of £888.3 million, an increase of £24.3 million or 2.8%. This included a recurrent revenue allocation of £848.4 million and a non-recurrent allocation of £40 million for primary dental care, pharmaceutical services, general ophthalmic services and support for joint working between health and social care.
	Once allocated it is for PCTs to commission the health care services they need to meet the needs of their local populations taking account of national and local priorities.

Arthritis

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of variations in the care of people with (a) rheumatoid arthritis and (b) other musculoskeletal conditions in (i) England and (ii) Worcestershire.

Norman Lamb: We have made no such assessment. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline on the management of rheumatoid arthritis in 2009 and has also published clinical guidelines relating to other musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis. NICE clinical guidelines are based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and we expect the national health service to take them fully into account in its decision making.

Arthritis

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payment by results mechanisms his Department is assessing to improve the quality of care for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Daniel Poulter: The Department proposes to introduce a new Payment by Results ‘best practice tariff’ in 2013-14 for patients referred to an out-patient clinic with suspected early inflammatory arthritis. The aim of the proposed tariff is to improve clinical outcomes and reduce short-term morbidity and long-term disability.
	Final plans for Payment by Results in 2013-14 will be announced in December 2012.

Catering

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on refreshments since January 2012.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has spent £331,643.61 (including VAT) on refreshments for meetings since January 2012. The average monthly spend has reduced from £60,157.62 in financial year 2008-09 to £36,849.28 in 2012 (January-September).

Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the publication of the Government's Proactive Communications Plan in September 2012, what proportion of the £285 million spending on health marketing for 2012-13 will be used to inform and engage the public of (a) the increase in diabetes prevalence, (b) the risk factors and potential complications of diabetes and (c) what steps members of the public can take to assess their risk of contracting diabetes.

Anna Soubry: Type 2 diabetes, and its consequences, is featured in other campaigns such as Change4Life and there is a considerable amount of information on diabetes available on NHS Choices. It is not possible to calculate the monetary value of these contributions.
	There are no plans for a separate diabetes campaign.

Heart Diseases

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the peak age range was for finished admission episodes for coronary artery bypass graft surgery in England in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.

Anna Soubry: Set out in the following table is a count of finished admission episodes(1) with a main operative procedure(2) of coronary artery bypass graft(3) by five year age bands 2009-10 and 2010-11(4).
	
		
			 Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 Age band 2009-10 2010-11 
			 0-4 1 2 
			 5-9 1 1 
			 10-14 0 2 
			 15-19 0 0 
			 20-24 1 3 
			 25-29 5 1 
			 30-34 1 1 
			 35-39 1 7 
			 40-44 18 21 
			 45-49 41 39 
			 50-54 75 70 
			 55-59 172 139 
			 60-64 246 220 
			 65-69 317 346 
			 70-74 470 392 
			 75-79 449 455 
			 80-84 303 304 
			 85-89 97 86 
			 90-120 4 3 
			 Age not known 3 2 
			 Total 2,205 2,094 
		
	
	
		
			 (1) Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2) Main procedure The first recorded procedure or intervention in each episode, usually the most resource intensive procedure or intervention performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main procedure when looking at admission details, (e.g. time waited), but a more complete count of episodes with a particular procedure is obtained by looking at the main and the secondary procedures. (3) OPCS 4 Codes for Coronary artery bypass graft K40 - Saphenous vein graft replacement of coronary artery K41 - Other autograft replacement of coronary artery K42 - Allograft replacement of coronary artery K43 - Prosthetic replacement of coronary artery K44 - Other replacement of coronary artery (4) Assessing growth through time (Inpatients) Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Hip Replacements

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the peak age range was for finished admission episodes for hip replacement procedures in England in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is available in the following table.
	
		
			 Finished admission episodes(1) with a main operative procedure(2) of hip replacement(3) by five-year age bands 2009-10 and 2010-11(4). Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 Five year age groups 2009-10 2010-11 
			 0-4 1 1 
			 5-9 1 3 
			 10-14 4 5 
			 15-19 66 65 
			 20-24 123 121 
			 25-29 193 181 
			 30-34 281 318 
			 35-39 542 598 
			 40-44 1,079 1,133 
			 45-49 1,813 2,044 
			 50-54 3,344 3,748 
			 55-59 5,509 6,058 
			 60-64 9,840 10,755 
			 65-69 12,318 13,022 
			 70-74 15,641 15,929 
			 75-79 15,890 16,420 
			 80-84 13,215 13,960 
			 85-89 10,067 9,976 
			 90-120 4,953 5,534 
			 Age not known 66 78 
			 Totals 94,946 99,949 
		
	
	
		
			 (1) Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2) Main procedure The first recorded procedure or intervention in each episode, usually the most resource intensive procedure or intervention performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main procedure when looking at admission details, (eg time waited), but a more complete count of episodes with a particular procedure is obtained by looking at the main and the secondary procedures. (3 )OPCS 4 Codes for Hip replacement W37, W38, W39, W46, W47, W48, W93, W94 and W95. (4) Assessing growth through time (in-patients) Hospital Episode Statistics figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Knee Replacements

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were fitted with microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knees by the NHS in (a) England and (b) each primary care trust in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: The information requested on how many patients were fitted with microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knees by the national health service in England and each primary care trust in each of the last five years is not held centrally.

Annual Leave

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days' leave each Minister in his Department has taken from official duties in the last 12 months.

Daniel Poulter: Ministers remain Ministers at all times. The Ministerial Code sets out the arrangements for ministerial cover.

Medical Treatments Abroad

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money his Department spent paying for NHS patients to have treatments abroad in each of the last three years.

Anna Soubry: There are three principal ways for patients to access elective treatment abroad funded by the national health service:
	an E112, replaced by the S2 in May 2010, which allows one European Economic Area Country (EEA) to send a patient to another EEA country for treatment;
	utilising the provisions of Article 56 of the European Treaty to access treatment in another European country and be retrospectively reimbursed by a primary care trust; and
	an Individual Funding Request made by a patient to their primary care trust.
	In addition, NHS patients receive clinically necessary treatment while on a temporary visit to another EEA country using the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
	Of these categories, the Department only holds figures for expenditure relating to E112s and S2s issued, and EHIC. This is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 E112/S2 and EHIC claims £ 
			 2009-10 123,300,000 
			 2010-11 133,100,000 
			 2011-12 137,200,000

Neuroblastoma

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much money his Department spent raising awareness of neuroblastoma in each of the last three years;
	(2)  if he will estimate the long-term cost to the NHS of funding the three-drug treatment for people with neuroblastoma if it were available on the NHS.

Anna Soubry: The Department has allocated no funding to raise awareness of neuroblastoma in the last three years. On 12 January 2011, we published “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, which sets out how the Government had committed over £450 million over the following four years to support earlier diagnosis of cancer. This money is being used to raise awareness of the symptoms of cancer; fund increased general practitioner access to diagnostic tests; and pay for more testing and treatment in secondary care.
	The Strategy also set out our commitment to work with a number of rarer cancer-focused charities to assess what more can be done to encourage appropriate referrals to secondary care and to diagnose rarer cancers earlier. Further work has been undertaken with a number of these charities, including those concerned with children's cancers, with the aim of identifying some of the barriers to early diagnosis and to discuss potential solutions. As a result, we are hoping to pilot a more general symptom awareness campaign in January 2012 that will be relevant to a range of cancers, including those that affect children.
	The total funding for awareness activity in 2012-13 is £11.75 million. This includes funding for additional awareness activity that will support regional pilots of our previously tested local campaigns on blood in urine and on breast cancer symptoms in women over 70 and test local campaign activity for ovarian cancer. This money also paid for the national “Be Clear on Cancer” bowel cancer reminder campaign that ran from 28 August 2012 for four weeks.
	The three-drug treatment for neuroblastoma to which we believe the question refers is offered in the United States of America part of clinical trial involving monoclonal antibody therapy delivered with two cytokines. While there is agreement among neuroblastoma specialists that children should be offered monoclonal antibody treatment, the question of whether the antibodies should be given with cytokines, which increase the toxicity of the treatment, is the subject of research trials undertaken here and in Europe. Doctors in this country continue to collaborate with European and American colleagues to learn more about the use of immunotherapy in the treatment of neuroblastoma. In the United Kingdom, the trials of monoclonal antibody therapy delivered with cytokines are led by Dr Penelope Brock from Great Ormond Street Hospital as part of the UK Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group. The National Institute for Health Research Cancer Research Network is providing the national health service support for these trials.
	Whether this treatment should become the widely accepted treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma patients will be subject to peer review following completion of the trial, the evaluation of trial data by both the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, and licensing of the treatment. This process would have to be completed before the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence could consider appraising the use of monoclonal antibody treatment for the treatment of neuroblastoma.
	More generally, decisions regarding the treatment a patient receives are made on a case by case basis, taking into account the individual clinical circumstances of that patient. The Department does not estimate costs for the delivery of particular treatment regimes.

Prostate Cancer

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to provide services for people diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Anna Soubry: In 2008, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published the clinical guideline “Prostate cancer: diagnosis and treatment”. This sets out recommendations on the tests, treatment, care and support that men who have suspected or diagnosed prostate cancer should be offered. This guidance will continue to be a feature of all commissioned prostate cancer services.
	To ensure that these recommendations continue to reflect the latest available evidence, NICE is currently updating this guideline. NICE is also developing a prostate cancer Quality Standard alongside the update of the clinical guideline. Quality Standards are a concise set of statements designed to drive and measure priority quality improvements within a particular area of care. They are derived from the best available evidence such as NICE guidance and other evidence sources accredited by NICE.

Surgery: Age Groups

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been denied surgery for (a) cancer, (b) hernia repairs and (c) joint replacements on age grounds in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 to date, by age group and region.

Norman Lamb: The Department does not centrally collect this information.
	The Government introduced a ban on unjustifiable age discrimination from 1 October 2012. The ban is being implemented within the national health service with no exceptions. Decisions on referrals for surgery should be based on a thorough assessment of the individual's needs and circumstances. Chronological age must not be used as a substitute for an individual assessment of a person's needs.

Thalidomide

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether thalidomide is still prescribed for any conditions;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on how many babies were born worldwide with thalidomide disabilities;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the value of his Department's funding for the health needs of people with thalidomide disabilities; what plans he has to extend such funding beyond three years; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Thalidomide is listed in the British National Formulary as a possible treatment for leprosy and untreated multiple myeloma. Information on its use in primary and secondary care, in the most recent available calendar year, is shown in the tables.
	
		
			 Primary care: Thalidomide prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England—2011 
			  Number 
			 Prescription items 200 
			 Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system 
		
	
	
		
			 Secondary care: Thalidomide used in hospitals in England—2011 
			  Number 
			 Packs(1) 29,235 
			 (1) Thalidomide is available in packs of 50 milligrams containing 28 capsules. The figure for the number of packs is therefore not a direct measure of the physical quantity used, the number of times the medicine was used nor the number of patients treated. Source: IMS HEALTH: Hospital Pharmacy Audit 
		
	
	The Department has no official information on the numbers affected by Thalidomide worldwide, but the Thalidomide Trust estimates between 22,500 to 25,000 children in 46 countries were born with deformities, such as phocomelia, as a consequence of the drug. The former Minister of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow), met with the hon. Member for Elmet and Rothwell (Alec Shelbrooke), chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group, along with members of the Thalidomide Trust and the National Advisory Council, in June. At that meeting, he committed to providing a decision on future funding in the autumn of this year. I have since repeated that commitment.

Tobacco: Packaging

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to announce his decision on standardised packaging of tobacco; and whether he plans to publish his Department's response to the consultation on standardised packaging of tobacco products.

Anna Soubry: The Department is currently analysing the very large number of responses received to the “Consultation on standardised packaging of tobacco products” and will publish a report of the consultation in due course.
	Any decisions to take further policy action on tobacco packaging will only be taken after consideration has been given to the consultation responses, evidence and other relevant information.

Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 175W, on training, what the cost was of the training; and which company provided the training.

Daniel Poulter: The training was provided by Millbank Media at a cost of £500.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Domestic Waste: Disposal

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities submitted a final bid to his Department's Weekly Collection Support Scheme by the deadline of 17 August 2012.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 19 October 2012
	The Weekly Collections Support scheme fund is over subscribed and all £250 million will be fully allocated so millions of families will receive a weekly residual waste collection and recycling. The Department for Communities and Local Government is currently assessing the final bids we received requesting funding from the Weekly Collection Support scheme and Ministers will make a statement in due course.

Electric Cables

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the volume of counterfeit or falsely marked electrical cabling imported into the UK in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
	Officials from BIS and its predecessor department have been discussing the issue of unsafe cables with UK manufacturers since 2009. I refer the hon. Member to parliamentary question 121603 that I am answering today. Therefore, I have made no estimates regarding the volume of counterfeit or falsely marked electrical cabling imported into the UK.

Electric Cables

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress his Department has made in preventing the import and installation of counterfeit or falsely marked electrical cabling.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
	Officials from BIS and its predecessor department have been discussing the issue of unsafe cables with UK manufacturers since 2009. BIS funded the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to undertake a market surveillance exercise in 2010 to assess the incidence of unsafe cables on the market. While HSE found a significant lack of awareness in business of administrative requirements of the relevant safety legislation they concluded that generally products were safe. As a result, HSE has been advising wholesalers and distributors about the legislative requirements, and follow-up visits have found a significant improvement in compliance with administrative procedures, including obtaining evidence of conformity with the technical requirements of the safety legislation.

English Defence League: Rotherham

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will estimate the economic effect on (a) shopkeepers in Rotherham, (b) Rotherham metropolitan borough council and (c) the wider Rotherham community as a result of the English Defence League march and rally in Rotherham on 13 October 2012;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on community cohesion of marches and rallies organised by the English Defence League in towns where British Muslim citizens live.

Don Foster: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect data or make estimates or assessments on the economic effects or the effects on community cohesion of marches and rallies. Managing protest activity is the responsibility of local partners and we trust them to put in place suitable measures to minimise the impact on their communities.
	To help local partners do this we have recently provided £200,000 to Luton borough council and Blackburn with Darwen borough council for them to jointly establish and lead a national Special Interest Group on the far right to tackle and challenge extremism. This will help local areas share their best ideas and come up with innovative solutions—including those that will help minimise the economic effects and the effects on community cohesion of marches and rallies.

Family Intervention Projects

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families were helped by family intervention projects partly or fully funded by the Government over the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 17 October 2012, Official Report, column 302W.

Foster Care: Barnsley

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the average cost to Barnsley metropolitan council per foster child sent to a home outside the borough as a result of a lack of foster parents in each of the last five years.

Edward Timpson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Education.
	The Department does not collect the information on these specific costs. On the basis of local authority returns on spending, we know that in the financial year 2010-11 Barnsley local authority spent £5.305 million on fostering services. The authority had 165 children in foster care at 31 March 2011, of whom 35 were placed outside of the local authority's boundaries. The cost of placing these children outside the local authority boundary is not centrally collected.

Mayors: Powers

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the powers available to elected mayors in respect of overturning a local authority decision on budgets and policy frameworks.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 22 October 2012
	Mayors should have all the powers they need to exercise their executive responsibilities to fulfil the mandate their electorate has given them. Accordingly, within the totality of the budget and any broad strategic plan adopted by the council, mayors must be free to exercise their executive functions as they see fit and on which they are accountable to their electorate.

Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to lay the final accounts of the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: Work is ongoing to finalise the accounts of the Thurrock Development Corporation, which will be laid in Parliament as soon as possible.

Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff were employed by the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation on 15 October 2012.

Brandon Lewis: On 15 October 2012 the Thurrock Development Corporation employed six staff and two board members.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy Company Obligation

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of how different building types will be able to take advantage of energy company obligation measures.

Gregory Barker: All domestic building types will be eligible for support under the energy company obligation (ECO) affordable warmth and carbon saving communities obligations, subject to the other eligibility criteria of the scheme. The ECO carbon saving obligation will be available for energy efficiency measures in harder to treat domestic properties, such as those that require solid wall or hard-to-treat cavity insulation.
	Ultimately it will be for the obligated energy suppliers to target households to meet their share of the ECO in the most cost-effective way, in light of the distribution of technical potential for delivery of ECO eligible measures across the housing stock as a whole.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of anti-Semitic attacks during Jewish high holy days in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; and if she will make a statement. [R]

Don Foster: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	Individual police forces collate and analyse intelligence on the number of anti-Semitic attacks in order to inform local operational decisions and to provide adequate protection at times of demand. In addition, the Association of Chief Police Officers analyses this intelligence, to inform forces of any emerging challenges. Data on attacks on Jewish high holy days is not separately identified.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to protect the Jewish community from anti-Semitic attacks; and if she will make a statement. [R]

Don Foster: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	Hate crime, including that targeting a person's religion, is an issue the Government take very seriously. We work with the Association of Chief Police Officers and other partners to encourage the reporting of all hate crime and improve the response of the police and other criminal justice agencies to ensure better protection for victims.
	The Cross-Government Working Group on anti-Semitism and the police regularly meet representatives of the Jewish community to discuss actions to protect the Jewish community against anti-Semitic attacks. The anti-Semitism Working Group and the Cross-Government Hate Crime Strategy Board have a number of actions in train to tackle anti-Semitism, which are reassessed on a regular basis. These include funding the security needs of Jewish faith schools within the state school sector, challenging anti-Semitism in online media, improving the recording of all hate crime, including anti-Semitic hate crimes, and improving the training of hate crime prosecutors.

Offences against Children

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of her Department's budget was allocated to tackling child abuse in each of the last five years; and what proportion of her Department's budget she intends so to allocate in each financial year up to 2015-16.

Jeremy Browne: The police have a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004. Child protection and child abuse investigation is part of core front line policing and forms a critical part of police public protection responsibilities.
	The allocation of funding for public protection arrangements is a matter for the relevant chief officer.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer Question 122422, on ballot papers for the Police and Crime Commissioners elections in Wales.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 764W.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) his predecessor, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have held meetings with bus operators where the subject of excluding Quality Contracts from the Better Bus Areas incentive was discussed.

Norman Baker: The Better Bus Area working group, which includes representatives from both bus operators and local authorities, has discussed the subject of excluding or otherwise Quality Contracts from the Better Bus Areas incentive. Neither the current Secretary of State, nor his predecessor, has held meetings with bus operators where the subject of excluding Quality Contracts from the Better Bus Areas incentive was discussed.

Bus Services

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the implications of excluding Quality Contract applications from eligibility for Better Bus Area funding.

Norman Baker: At present no local authority has introduced a Quality Contract Scheme (QCS) within their local area. As stated in the published consultation our intention is that:
	“Bus Service Operator Grant (BSOG) for bus services in any area where a Quality Contract Scheme is made—and where all services are tendered—will be devolved.”
	It is not our intention that any tendered services should attract Better Bus Area funding.
	However, as stated in our consultation:
	"A local transport authority with plans for a QCS would not be automatically ineligible to bid for Better Bus Area status. However, strong partnership between the authority and bus operators will be an essential criterion when assessing bids for Better Bus Area status and this criterion would not be relaxed for authorities with plans for a QCS. Any authority both developing a QCS and seeking BBA status would need to demonstrate the same standard of partnership working and support from local bus operators for the BBA bid as any other bidding authority. They would also need to spell out how their plans would be taken forward both with and without a QCS in place."
	That all notwithstanding, I will consider how best to take forward the BSOG reform proposals in light of the responses to our consultation, which ends on 12th November. No decisions have been taken.

Bus Services: EU Law

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2012, Official Report, column 276W, on bus services, when he expects to consult on enforcement of and exemptions to EU Regulation 181/2011.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport launched a consultation exercise on how to apply EU Regulation 181/2011 in Great Britain on 18th July 2012, seeking views on the use of available exemptions, enforcement arrangements and designating terminals where guaranteed assistance is provided to disabled passengers.
	The consultation closed on 11th October 2012.

Directly Operated Railways

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has (a) sought and (b) received advice from his officials of the necessity to expand the capacity of Directly Operated Railways.

Simon Burns: Directly Operated Railways' principal activity is the management and support of train companies that are returned to temporary public ownership under the obligation to act as operator of the Last Resort. The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), has sought and received advice on the capacity that may be required to meet this requirement in respect of the West Coast Main Line.

Directly Operated Railways

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff have been employed each year by Directly Operated Railways since its inception.

Simon Burns: The number of Directly Operated Railways staff, also expressed as their full-time equivalent, as at 31 March in each of the financial years ended on that date as follows:
	
		
			  March 2010 March 2011 March 2012 
			 Number 8 7 6 
			 Full-time equivalent 4.9 3.9 3

Directly Operated Railways

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he anticipates that the number of staff employed by Directly Operated Railways will increase over the next three years.

Simon Burns: The role of Directly Operated Railways (DOR) is to oversee the management and development of any Rail Franchise over which the Secretary of State has exercised their powers under section 30 of the Railways Act. At present the East Coast Franchise is operating under these powers and DOR has an appropriate organisation to fulfil these obligations.
	While there are no planned changes currently, if the Secretary of State changes the role of DOR this will result in organisational changes to reflect the revised role.

Durham Tees Valley Airport

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has made to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on Durham Tees Valley airport's bid to the Regional Growth Fund.

Simon Burns: The former and current Secretary of State for Transport made no representations to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in respect of Durham Tees Valley airport's bid to the Regional Growth Fund.

Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will (a) make an assessment of the potential effect on air quality of a third runway at Heathrow and (b) submit that assessment to the Independent Commission on Aviation chaired by Sir Howard Davies.

Simon Burns: The Airports Commission has been asked to consider all relevant factors in producing its recommendations, including the impacts of any options upon air quality. The Government will set out its overall objective for the air quality impacts of aviation via the final Aviation Policy Framework, which it will publish by March 2013. The Commission will be able to take this into account in its work.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what budget his Department has allocated for High Speed 2 for (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.

Simon Burns: The budget allocated by the Department to High Speed Two Ltd for the years specified is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2012-13 172 
			 2013-14 147 
			 2014-15 208 
		
	
	This budget includes work on the hybrid Bill for the London to Birmingham phase, as well as preparatory work on the second section of the high speed rail network.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when (a) he and (b) his predecessor last met BAA to discuss the connection of High Speed 2 to Heathrow airport.

Simon Burns: Neither the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), nor his predecessor, have had discussions with BAA concerning the connection of High Speed 2 to Heathrow airport. However, officials from HS2 Ltd last met with BAA in June, and meetings were held periodically before then.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what allowance his Department has made for subsidising the operating costs of proposed High Speed 2 services to Heathrow airport via the spur.

Simon Burns: My Department has calculated the operating costs of the High Speed 2 services as a whole, as detailed in the Economic Case: Value for Money Statement, which is available from the DFT website.
	The modelling undertaken for the economic case suggests that, even when the impacts on the existing network are accounted for, HS2 services would be operationally profitable over the appraisal period.

Large Goods Vehicles: Rural Areas

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on (a) how many villages in the UK have restrictions on heavy goods vehicles travelling through them and (b) how many times a county council has imposed such a restriction.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not hold information on the number of villages that have restrictions on heavy goods vehicles travelling through them or on the number of times that councils have implemented such restrictions. It is the responsibility of individual highway authorities to decide whether or not to implement such restrictions on their roads.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the introduction of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport will issue internal guidance on the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 before its provisions come into effect next year, and ensure that consideration of its provisions is addressed in business cases for the commissioning of public services.

Public Transport: Rivers

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what strategy his Department has in place to help cities develop water taxi services.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not have a specific strategy in place to help cities develop water taxi services. Local transport authorities are responsible, through their Local Transport Plans, for identifying the transport challenges their areas face and for the implementation of appropriate solutions to address these. This includes water taxi services.

Railways

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what innovations which have benefited passengers have been provided by (a) InterCity West Coast, (b) Great Western, (c) Essex Thameside and (d) Thameslink in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport contracts with train operators through franchise agreements to provide rail services including improvements for passengers. This is the minimum level of service a train operator must provide, but it is free to implement innovations over and above those contracted commitments. The public register of franchise agreements can be found on the Department for Transport's website and this contains a list of the committed obligations in each agreement. Any further initiative developed by the operator will not be held by the Department. The Department does not hold a record of all innovations that train operators have developed and implemented.

Railways

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the at-risk investment made by (a) InterCity West Coast, (b) Great Western, (c) Essex Thameside and (d) Thameslink franchises in each of the last five years; and what improvements such investment was intended to support.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport contracts with train operators through franchise agreements to provide rail services including committed obligations. This is the minimum level of investment a train operator must provide in delivering the rail service and as this commitment to invest in the railway forms part of the contract, no such investment is at risk. The public register of franchise agreements can be found on the Department for Transport's website and this contains a list of the committed obligations in each agreement. Train operators are free to make investments over and above those that they are contracted to deliver. Any further initiative developed by the operator will not be held by the Department.

Railways: Franchises

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the loss of investment arising from delays in the franchising of the (a) InterCity West Coast, (b) Great Western, (c) Essex Thameside and (d) Thameslink franchises.

Simon Burns: No estimate has been made of any loss of investment arising from the suspension of the franchising programme. A number of major investments in infrastructure and fleet are being made by the Department and will proceed as scheduled.

Railways: Franchises

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates his officials have provided in respect of the end date of the (a) InterCity West Coast, (b) Great Western, (c) Essex Thameside, (d) Thameslink, (e) Integrated Kent, (f) South Central, (g) InterCity East Coast, (h) Greater Anglia, (i) TransPennine Express, (j) East Midlands, (k) West Midlands, (l) Cross Country, (m) South West and (n) Chiltern franchises; and whether any such estimates have been increased.

Simon Burns: The Department is currently assessing the impact of the suspension of the programme for rail franchises, including those listed, and the implications for the time scales for awarding of contracts. This will ensure continuity of services while establishing the right approach in terms of affordability and value for money. Once this has been finalised and agreed we will provide an update to the House.
	Future franchise competitions will incorporate the findings of the Brown Review which will report by the end of December. The terms of reference for the Review have been laid in the Library of the House.

Railways: Franchises

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his officials or consultants have provided him with any estimate of the cost to the taxpayer of delaying the (a) East Coast, (b) Great Western, (c) Essex Thameside and (d) Thameslink franchises.

Simon Burns: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not been provided with an estimate of the cost to the taxpayer of delaying the East Coast, Great Western, Essex Thameside and Thameslink franchises. Future arrangements for these franchises will be made once the outcome of the two independent reviews, being undertaken by Sam Laidlaw and Richard Brown, are known.

Railways: Franchises

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department is making any preparations for Directly Operated Railways to assume control of the (a) Great Western, (b) Essex Thameside and (c) Thameslink franchises when they expire.

Simon Burns: The Department is currently not making preparations for Directly Operated Railways to assume control of the Great Western, Essex Thameside and Thameslink franchises. Future arrangements for these franchises will be made once the outcome of the independent reviews, being undertaken by Sam Laidlaw and Richard Brown, are known.

Railways: Franchises

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what declarations of potential conflicts of interest have been declared by individuals or organisations involved in (a) the Laidlaw review of the West Coast Mainline and (b) the Brown review into franchising; and what his Department's response to those declarations was.

Simon Burns: There have been no declarations of potential conflicts of interest by individuals or organisations involved in the Laidlaw Inquiry.
	Decisions about who to involve in the Laidlaw Inquiry or the Brown Review are for Sam Laidlaw and Richard Brown respectively. Final decisions regarding input into the Brown Review have not yet been made.
	I will ensure the House is updated in the event that any conflicts of interest are declared by individuals or organisations involved in the Brown Review.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects financial close to be reached for the Thameslink rolling stock contract.

Simon Burns: The Department is expecting to reach financial close early in the new year.

West Coast Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the peak time loadings for the West Coast Mainline since 2010.

Simon Burns: The Department for Transport receives information from train operating companies showing average passenger numbers on each service on arrival and departure from stations in a number of cities. This includes some stations on the West Coast Mainline. This information is commercially confidential.
	The Department does, however, publish aggregate statistics showing peak passenger numbers, capacity provision and crowding in a number of major cities in England and Wales. These figures can be found in the publication 'Rail passenger numbers and crowding on weekdays in major cities in England and Wales: 2011', which can be found on the DFT website at the following link:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/releases/rail-passenger-numbers-and-crowding-on-weekdays-2011

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the estimated £40 million cost to the public purse of halting the procurement for the West Coast Main Line franchise includes consultancy fees paid to date.

Simon Burns: The estimated £40 million cost incurred by bidders involved in the cancelled InterCity West Coast franchise competition does not include the costs incurred by the Department for consultancy services in support of this work.

TREASURY

Gift Aid: Private Education

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many independent schools have received Gift Aid payments in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many independent schools in (a) England and (b) the UK have registered for Gift Aid.

Sajid Javid: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not separately identify Gift Aid claims by reference to the types of organisations that make the claims.
	HMRC records do not separately identify Gift Aid claims by separate countries of the UK.
	Amounts of tax repaid to charities in the UK on donations under Gift Aid are published in Table 10.3 on the HMRC website at
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/charities/menu.htm
	In 2011-12 a total of £1,057 million (provisional figure) was repaid to UK charities under Gift Aid.

Income Tax: Self-assessment

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many non-UK EU nationals have completed self-assessment tax returns to HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years; and how many non-UK EU nationals are self-employed for tax purposes.

David Gauke: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.

Personal Savings: Older People

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to encourage cash savings amongst over 50 year olds.

Sajid Javid: The Government's savings strategy is based on the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility, and aims to meet the needs of consumers while remaining effective and affordable.
	The Government have taken steps to support and encourage savers of all ages. These include:
	1. Providing extensive tax relief on saving in ISAs, worth around £2 billion in 2011-12. ISAs are a popular savings product, held by almost 24 million people. To ensure the amount that people can save annually tax-free is not eroded by inflation, the Government indexed the amount that can be paid into ISAs each year.
	Transparency and competition in the ISA market has also improved. Financial Services Authority (FSA) guidance now states that providers should include interest rates on savings account statements, and provide notice to consumers when an introductory or promotional rate of interest ends, or if there is a material change in the interest rate that will disadvantage the consumer. Following an Office of Fair Trading (OFT) review into cash ISA transfer times, the cash ISA industry has amended its guidelines to reduce the maximum transfer time from 23 to 15 working days, and this has been reinforced by similar changes to the ISA regulations.
	2. Simple financial products will enable people to take responsibility for their finances and make better choices by helping them compare products and understand product features. The Government appointed Carol Sergeant to chair a steering group tasked with developing an initial suite of products. The group published an interim report for consultation in August 2012. The group considered the suitability of a range of deposit savings products to be accorded simple product status, focusing on two: an easy access account and a 30 day notice account. Carol Sergeant will continue to lead discussions with her steering group over the coming months and publish a final report in February 2013.
	3. Financial access is important to give households the capability for better financial planning. To improve responsibility for personal savings the Government introduced the Money Advice Service, which among other services provides a free financial ‘healthcheck’.

Revenue and Customs: ICT

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the commitment in page 30 of the coalition agreement to introduce transferable tax allowance for married couples, whether HM Revenue and Customs has begun to make the requisite information technology changes to give effect to this change.

David Gauke: The Government's commitment to bringing forward a proposal to recognise marriage through the tax and benefit system remains firm. We want to show we value commitment and will consider a range of options and bring proposals forward at the appropriate time.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Toby Perkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what methods HM Revenue and Customs use to measure how long telephone callers are left on hold before being spoken to; and what plans he has to review these systems to improve their accuracy.

David Gauke: HMRC are able to accurately measure the length of time customers spend in a queue before speaking to an adviser. HMRC contact centres handle around 60 million calls per annum using a sophisticated telephone platform and technology that is standard across large contact centre operations and is designed to be robust and flexible when dealing with large, numbers of incoming telephone calls.
	HMRC are committed to improving service levels for customers. On 10 August 2012, Lin Homer, HMRC's Chief Executive, announced up to an extra 1,000 staff for contact centres with the aim of answering 90% of the call attempts made, two years earlier than planned. This improvement in service levels will also reduce call waiting times.

Welfare Tax Credits

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the largest request for repayment of tax credits by HM Revenue and Customs was in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Working Tax Credit: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of families in Wrexham constituency who will cease to receive working tax credit following changes made in the 2012 Budget.

David Gauke: The only change to tax credits made in Budget 2012 was to lower the working hours requirement for working tax credit, including the child care element, for couples with children where at least one partner is entitled to carer's allowance. This is likely to slightly increase the number of families that will be eligible for working tax credit. Constituency level breakdowns are not available.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Corporation Tax

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what her policy is on the devolution of corporation tax to Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: The case for devolving corporation tax powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly has been put clearly to me by both Northern Ireland Ministers and business groups.
	The ministerial working group which has been considering these matters met on Thursday. We will now produce a report to inform decisions and set out the conclusions of our work.

Welfare Reforms

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the effect of the Government’s welfare reforms in Northern Ireland.

Michael Penning: The welfare reforms will bring many benefits to Northern Ireland. These include a simpler system that always rewards work, protection for the most vulnerable in society and a benefit system that is fairer to both the claimant and the taxpayer.
	We will continue to work with the Executive about the best way of implementing the reforms in Northern Ireland’s particular circumstances.

Peace Walls

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on starting a process to dismantle peace walls in Belfast.

Michael Penning: Peace walls remain the responsibility of the Minister of Justice in Northern Ireland. We have had introductory discussions on a range of matters of mutual interest. This Government fully support his Department’s efforts to find alternative approaches to managing tensions at interfaces and addressing this legacy of division and segregation.

Public Disorder: Vehicles and Equipment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on providing additional funding to repair police, army and emergency service vehicles and equipment damaged during the recent public disorder in Northern Ireland.

Michael Penning: Issues relating to public order are devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly and are the responsibility of David Ford, the Minister of Justice in Northern Ireland. I have had no direct discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on this issue.
	This Government remain committed to ensuring that the PSNI is adequately resourced to meet the current level of threat and the provision of an additional £200 million security funding is a clear demonstration of our commitment.

Inward Investment

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on attracting inward investment.

Theresa Villiers: Responsibility for inward investment is largely a devolved matter. However, I have assured both the First and deputy First Ministers and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, that the Government wants to work closely with the Executive to rebalance the Northern Ireland economy and help secure inward investment for Northern Ireland.

Inward Investment

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps her Department plans to take to increase the amount of inward investment into Northern Ireland.

Michael Penning: Responsibility for inward investment is largely a devolved matter, but I have assured both the First and deputy First Ministers and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment that the Government wants to work closely with the Executive to rebalance the Northern Ireland economy and help secure inward investment to Northern Ireland.

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements she has put in place for the views of the Northern Ireland Executive on human trafficking to be considered by her Department.

Theresa Villiers: Matters relating to human trafficking in Northern Ireland are devolved. The Northern Ireland Justice Minister, David Ford MLA, leads on this issue there. I understand that Mr Ford sits on the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group for Human Trafficking chaired by the Minister for Immigration, my hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper). I understand the Minister of Justice recently announced the establishment of an Engagement Group to enable an exchange on this issue between his Department, relevant agencies and the NGO sector.

Politics and Government

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans she has to reform the political institutions at Stormont.

Michael Penning: A consultation on measures to improve the operation of the Northern Ireland Assembly closed yesterday. The consultation sought views on potential changes, including the development of a Government and Opposition and a reduction in the number of MLAs. We have been clear that any major reform would require widespread cross-community support.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Arms Trade: Treaties

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if the Government will seek to strengthen the Arms Trade Treaty by including a requirement for a framework for the public reporting of activities covered by the Treaty;
	(2)  whether the Government will be seeking the removal of the defence co-operation clause from the current draft of the International Arms Trade Treaty;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that strict controls on the sale of ammunition and weapons parts and components are added to the current draft International Arms Trade Treaty.

Alistair Burt: The UK is committed to securing a robust and effective Arms Trade Treaty that enjoys the support of the widest possible range of states, and to continuing its leading role in the UN process. The UK is co-authoring a UN Resolution that will set the timing and modalities for a further conference to finalise work on the Treaty in March 2013.
	Discussions are continuing and it is therefore not appropriate for me to elaborate on the UK's negotiating positions ahead of a possible conference next year. We will continue to work with the international community, civil society and the UK defence industry to secure the highest possible standards in a Treaty with the broadest support of the UN Membership.

Indonesia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government have provided assistance to the Indonesian government in its drafting of a new law on social organisations in Indonesia; what information his Department holds on whether the EU has provided any such assistance; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the new law on the development of civil society and on business transparency in Indonesia.

Hugo Swire: No assistance has been provided to the Indonesian Government in its drafting of a new law on social organisations in Indonesia, nor, to the best of our knowledge, has the EU. We are actively following the progress of the Draft Bill on Civil Society Organisations (revision of Law 8/1985), that covers the development of civil society and on business transparency in Indonesia. We will continue to analyse this law as it moves through the drafting process.

Indonesia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the monetary value is of outstanding debt underwritten by the Government in relation to the purchase of military equipment by Indonesia.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The current total balance outstanding to UK Export Finance for Indonesian debt rescheduled through the Paris Club is £388 million. The debt was rescheduled into a number of agreements which also includes non-military debt. It is not possible to disaggregate the debt between military and non-military exports.

Mali

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the report dated 9 October 2012 by the UN Assistant General Secretary for Human Rights on Mali; and what recent discussions he has had with human rights and development organisations working in or monitoring the situation in Mali about ongoing abuses in the northern part of the country.

Mark Simmonds: The British Government agree with the assessment of the current human rights situation in Mali made by the UN Assistant General Secretary for Human Rights on Mali, and share his concerns that abuses perpetrated by rebel Islamist groups are becoming more systemic.
	I have had a number of meetings to discuss Mali with human rights and developmental organisations, including Hervé Ladsous, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and Barbara Stocking, Chief Executive Officer of Oxfam GB, to help return Mali to peaceful democracy via four main strands of work: security, which was a pre-cursor to the other strands; a long-term political solution; humanitarian support; and longer-term economic development. We will continue to work closely with our international partners, including human rights and development organisations, to achieve this goal.

Mali

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian and security consequences of an escalation of the conflict in Mali; what consideration he is giving to alternatives to military intervention for securing a durable peace in Mali; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: The British Government are concerned about the security situation in Mali and has called for a political solution to the crisis which respects and preserves the territorial integrity of Mali. Without urgent action against the growing threat from rebel Islamist groups, there is a real threat of further attacks in Africa and, possibly, beyond. The UN, in consultation with the Government of Mali, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, is leading on the development of a contingency plan for Mali in light of recent developments. The UN estimates that in the worst-case, the humanitarian situation could lead to the internal displacement of 180,000 people and over 450,000 refugees to surrounding countries.
	The British Government supported making humanitarian contingency planning a high priority for the UN. We are also committed to working through the EU and its institutions to ensure that EU support in the region is co-ordinated, coherent and effective.
	We look forward to the UN Secretary General's report on the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2071, which is due within 45 days of 12 October. We will then consider, in collaboration with other international partners, what further action is necessary.

Middle East

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the findings of the Council for Arab-British Understanding's report entitled Palestinian detainees: no security in injustice published in September 2012; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Alistair Burt: I am aware of the Council for Arab-British Understanding's report on Palestinian detainees. Israel's extensive use of administrative detention has been raised on a number of occasions with Israel's ambassador to the UK and the Israeli Government, including with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Vice Prime Minister and National Security Adviser. We also funded and facilitated an independent report into the issue of child detainees by leading British lawyers:
	http://www.childreninmilitarycustody.org/report/
	We are urging the Israeli Government to take forward the recommendations from this report, including an end to shackling and night-time arrest of children, and the introduction of audio-visual recording of interrogations. The UK's ambassador to Israel has discussed the children in military custody report's findings with the Israeli Attorney General and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we are continuing this dialogue. I have also written to the Israeli ambassador on the subject and have met Baroness Scotland, as one of the authors, to discuss follow up to this report.

Rwanda

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Department of the EU Commissioner on external affairs concerning restoration of aid payments to Rwanda in September 2012.

Mark Simmonds: Since the decision was taken in September to disburse half of the UK's delayed general budget support payment to Rwanda and to redirect the remaining amount to education and food security programmes, officials have had regular discussions with the EU Commission on a range of policy issues related to the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, including aid to Rwanda. These issues have been discussed in EU working groups and management committees as well as with the Commission in country.

Rwanda

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from his EU counterparts on the restoration of aid payments to Rwanda in September 2012.

Mark Simmonds: Since the decision was taken in September to disburse half of the UK’s delayed general budget support payment to Rwanda and to re-direct the remaining amount to education and food security programmes, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has received no representations from EU counterparts. Officials have had regular discussions with EU partners on a range of policy issues related to the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, including aid to Rwanda. These issues have been discussed in bilateral meetings as well as EU working groups and management committees.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband Delivery UK

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2012, Official Report , column 390W, on Broadband Delivery UK, how many full-time equivalent staff (a) joined and (b) left Broadband Delivery UK in each of the quarters for which figures were given.

Edward Vaizey: The following table shows such data as we hold on leavers and joiners to Broadband Delivery UK. As well as external joiners and leavers (including specialist contractors), the figures include internal moves between Broadband and other teams within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	
		
			  2011 2012 
			 Quarter Pre-April April to June July to September October to December January to March April to June July to September 
			 Headcount 19 21 29 34 49 54 62 
			 Leavers — 5 13 7 24 14 15 
			 Joiners — 3 5 2 9 7 17

Broadcasting Reception

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 21W, on broadcasting reception, 
	(1)  whether the UK planning model was accessed through Digital UK's postcode database when it was used by her Department to support the planning and implementation of the digital TV switchover;
	(2)  what the size of the model is.

Edward Vaizey: This is a matter for Ofcom, the independent broadcasting regulator. Accordingly, my officials spoke to Ofcom, who advised that the UK planning model is defined by the Joint Planning Project (JPP) (chaired by Ofcom) with input from each of the core JPP members (the BBC, Arqiva and Ofcom). The implementation of the model (ie how it is used to calculate coverage predictions etc.) is owned by the organisations who developed the software, the BBC and Arqiva, who each have their own version.

GCSE: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of students at state schools in Pendle constituency achieved five or more GCSEs at grades (a) A* to C and (b) A* to E in each year from 1997-98.

Elizabeth Truss: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Education.
	Information on the percentage of pupils in maintained schools in Pendle constituency achieving five or more GCSEs (including equivalents) at grades (a) A*-C and (b) A*-G for 1996/97 and from 2004/05 to 2010/11 is provided in the following table. Figures for the years 1997/98 to 2003/04 can be provided only at a disproportionate cost. Figures for pupils achieving five or more A* to E grades are not routinely produced and would be available only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Number and percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4(1) achieving five or more GCSEs (including equivalents) at grades (a) A*-C and (b) A*-G years 1996/97 and 2004/05 to 2010/11(2): Coverage: Pendle parliamentary constituency, maintained schools (including academies and CTCs) 
			  Number of end of KS4 pupils gaining 5+ GCSEs at grades A*-C or equivalent Percentage gaining 5+ GCSEs at grades A*-C or equivalent(1) Number of end of KS4 pupils gaining 5+ GCSEs at grades A*-G or equivalent Percentage gaining 5+ GCSEs at grades A*-G or equivalent(1) 
			 1996/97 416 37.1 936 83.5 
			      
			 2004/05 533 46.5 1,036 90.3 
			 2005/06 512 45.0 1,013 89.1 
			 2006/07 500 44.3 1,012 89.7 
			 2007/08 596 53.5 1,020 91.5 
			 2008/09 609 61.0 916 91.7 
			 2009/10 661 68.4 892 92.3 
			 2010/11 713 77.1 869 93.9 
			 (1) Percentages of pupils for 2004/05 to 2010/11 are based on pupils at the end of key stage 4 in each academic year. For 1996/97 the percentage is based on pupils aged 15. (2) Figures for 1996/97 and 2004/05 to 2010/11 are based on final data. Source: National Pupil Database

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when she plans to answer the letter sent to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 3 September 2012 with regard to Mr A Rowaichi and forwarded to her on 10 September 2012.

Hugh Robertson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State responded to the letter of September 2012 from the right hon. Member on 22 October 2012. The response was sent in hard copy to his parliamentary office.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPB) sponsored by her Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings; and whether each NDPB is under a statutory requirement to do so in each such case.

Hugh Robertson: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Advisory NDPB Hold public meetings Conduct public consultation exercises Conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests Publish a register of members' interests Publish agendas/minutes for meetings 
			 Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest No No No Yes Yes 
			 Theatres Trust No No Yes Yes No 
			 Treasure Valuation Committee No No No Yes No 
			 VisitEngland No Yes Yes Yes Yes 
		
	
	The advisory NDPBs listed above are not under a statutory requirement to carry out points (a) to (f).

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Air Pollution: EU Law

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the review of the EU Air Quality Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The UK welcomes the European Commission's Review of EU air quality policy, which is due to conclude in autumn 2013. Air quality has improved significantly over recent decades, but more needs to be done to reduce the damage air pollution causes to human health and ecosystems.
	The Review is an opportunity to look again at the framework in light of the current air quality challenges, and ensure it is coherent with our wider objectives, including better regulation, climate change and economic growth.
	A key priority for the UK will be to ensure that future EU vehicle emission standards are more effective than their predecessors in delivering the expected emission reductions for oxides of nitrogen. The Review, and any subsequent proposals for revisions to the legal framework, will need to reflect available and emerging evidence on real world performance of diesel road vehicles.

Biofuels

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the average reduction in life expectancy due to exposure to fine particulate matter arising from biomass plant.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not made an estimate of the average reduction in life expectancy due to exposure to fine particulate matter arising from biomass plants.
	An estimate has been made of the change in life years lost across the UK arising from the introduction of the Renewable Heat Incentive. The introduction of air quality criteria was expected to reduce the life years lost per person from between 0.6 and 1.2 days to between 0.2 and 0.4 days. This number is averaged across the UK population.

Biofuels

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the likely increase in UK emissions of isoprene were there to be an increase in short rotation coppice willow for use in biomass boilers or biomass power plant of (a) five per cent, (b) 10 per cent, (c) 25 per cent and (d) 50 per cent.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not made any estimate of the increase in UK emissions of isoprene from any increases in short rotation coppice willow planting in the UK.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences for culling badgers have been applied for under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 to date.

David Heath: The number of licences for the specific purpose of culling badgers that have been applied for since commencement of the 1992 Act is not available, as licence applications are not necessarily specific as to the action the applicant wishes to undertake.
	Records of licences applied for and granted since 2001 are on the Natural England website at:
	http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/lmages/badger-stats_tcm6-4337,pdf
	Most information prior to 2001 is summarised in The Management of Problems Involving Badgers reports (1998 and 2005) on the Natural England website at:
	http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/regulation/wildlife/advice/reports.aspx
	The number of-licences applied for as recorded in these reports is:
	
		
			  Number 
			 1994 18 
			 1995 26 
			 1996 13 
			 1997-99 85

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much from the (a) Badger Vaccination Fund for England and (b) other public sources has been allocated to (i) landowners and (ii) cull companies for vaccination in (A) Gloucestershire and (B) Somerset in each of the last 12 months.

David Heath: The Badger Vaccination Fund is a competitive grant scheme operating on the basis of applications received. The Fund has £250,000 available in 20120-13 to support vaccination of badgers in the badger control areas and provide grants to support staff and volunteers from voluntary and community sector organisations wishing to train as lay badger vaccinators. One application has been received but so far no money has yet been paid from the Fund to landowners and cull companies for vaccination in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
	The Badger Vaccination Deployment project which operates in Gloucestershire does not make payments to landowners or cull companies for badger vaccination.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of match funding landowners applying to his Badger Vaccination Fund for England have to provide for themselves.

David Heath: The Vaccination Fund provides grant applicants with reimbursement of up to 50% of the first year costs of vaccination.

Dairy Products

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress his Department has made on the implementation of the dairy voluntary code of best practice.

David Heath: The dairy industry code of practice has been agreed and published, and is ready to use following months of hard work on all sides. The Government is encouraging dairy farmers and processors to press ahead so that they can start to see the many beneficial terms of the code translated into milk supply contracts.

Food: Prices

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in food prices on families.

David Heath: DEFRA actively monitors retail food prices and impacts on household expenditure through its Family Food Survey. We know that some households are seeing the amount they spend on food increase, and there is evidence .some low income households are trading down on certain products.
	It is not Government's role to set retail food prices. Government provide safety nets through welfare to support those on low incomes and out of work. The Government also provides a number of schemes to help the most vulnerable in society afford and have access to nutritious food, such as the Healthy Start scheme.
	We work internationally to promote transparency, open global markets and a competitive domestic market to help producers and retailers offer the best prices to consumers.

Low Emission Zones

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many low emission zones will be operating from 2015;
	(2)  what procedure and criteria he will use to decide where low emission zones should be located.

Richard Benyon: It is for local authorities rather than central Government to decide whether or not to implement Low Emission Zones (LEZs) in their areas, and where they should be located. As a result, it is not possible to forecast how many LEZs will be operating from 2015. However, DEFRA has provided guidance on LEZs, as well as funding support for feasibility studies and assessments. In 2011-12 funding was awarded to 13 LEZ Feasibility Study projects, four Low Emission Strategies projects and seven qualitative, assessments of action plans, some of which included LEZ components within them.

Milk: Prices

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the new code of practice milk processors and dairy farmers will be enforced through the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

David Heath: The Groceries Code Adjudicator's (GCA) role will be to monitor and enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP). The GCA is being set up to address concerns about large retailers passing excessive risks or costs onto their direct suppliers, which within the dairy supply chain, are likely to be dairy processors.
	The Dairy Industry Code of Practice sets out good practice for contracts between producers and processors. Adherence to this code is voluntary. The code is self-regulating and will be subject to an annual review process to assess its effectiveness and compliance.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has used any enforcement action against the importation of illegal eggs from countries not compliant with the European Welfare of Laying Hens Directive introduced on 1 January 2012.

David Heath: holding answer 22 October 2012
	Risk based surveillance continues to be carried out by officials from the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), Scottish Government Egg Marketing Inspectors and officials from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland on imports of shell egg (Class A eggs) from other member states. to check they have been produced in compliance with the conventional cage ban. Origin details are checked against member states lists of compliant premises and using ultra violet light analysis to identify batches of caged eggs that are not from an enriched cage environment. This action, coupled with the pressure on importers from their customers to ensure that they are provided with eggs from hens reared in a legal environment, continues to act as a real deterrent to such imports. If eggs had been found, they would have been disposed of accordingly, as an animal by-product or been sent for processing (i.e. treated as Class B eggs) if, indeed any UK processors would accept them. However, to date, no enforcement action of this kind has needed to be pursued.
	The UK's full enforcement strategy is set out in the written ministerial statement of 6 December 2011, Official Report, columns 15-19WS.

EDUCATION

Free School Meals

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the number of students in further education colleges who would be entitled to free meals in (a) Warrington, (b) the North West and (c) England if the criteria used to determine eligibility for free meals in sixth forms were applied to such students; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: holding answer 22 October 2012
	It is not possible to determine whether learners in colleges would meet the current free school meals criteria. However, we can estimate how many 16-18 year olds in FE colleges and sixth form colleges were eligible for free school meals (FSM) when they were in year 11 and this is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 16-18 year olds in further education colleges and sixth form colleges in Warrington, the North West and England, 2010/11 by FSM status at age 15 
			  Full time/part time status in post-16 study Warrington North West England 
			 Eligible for FSM at 15 Full-time education 340 18,410 92,365 
			  Part-time education 10 2,570 13,800 
			  Total 350 20,980 106,165 
			 Not eligible for FSM at 15 Full-time education 3,180 89,050 530,510 
			  Part-time education 90 7,580 57,990 
			  Total 3,270 96,630 588,500 
		
	
	
		
			 Unknown FSM status at 15 Full-time education 115 8,470 65,720 
			  Part-time education 25 3,235 19,205 
			  Total 140 11,700 84,925 
			 All Full-time education 3,630 115,930 688,595 
			  Part-time education 125 13,385 90,995 
			  Total 3,755 129,315 779,590 
			 Note: Data are rounded to the nearest five students. The components of each table may not sum to the total due to independent rounding.

Apprentices: Brighton, Kemptown

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many employers in Brighton, Kemptown constituency have received payments for taking on a young apprentice under the National Apprenticeship Service since the inception of that scheme.

Matthew Hancock: The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE 16-24) provides up to 40,000 grants of £1,500 to support smaller employers taking on a young apprentice aged 16-24.
	Provisional data show that between 1 February and 11 June 2012, there were 2,300 apprenticeship starts for which a payment was made through the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers scheme. For the Brighton, Kempton constituency this figure was fewer than five.
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 11 October 2012
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Apprentices: Reading (Berkshire)

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many employers in Reading West constituency have received payments to take on their first young apprentice under the Government's incentive scheme since the inception of that scheme.

Matthew Hancock: The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE 16-24) provides up to 40,000 grants of £1,500 to support smaller employers taking on a young apprentice aged 16-24.
	Provisional data show that between 1 February and 11 June 2012, there were 2,300 apprenticeship starts for which a payment was made through the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers scheme. For Reading West constituency this figure was fewer than five.
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 11 October 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Atos

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2012, Official Report, columns 804-5W, on Atos, whether he has made an estimate of the level of profit Atos will make from the contract; and what the likely level of profit is.

Elizabeth Truss: The contract was awarded on a fixed price basis following a highly competitive tendering exercise and profit margins were not part of the evaluation process. Atos' offer was deemed to offer the best value for money, balancing cost against service.

Bullying

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has received complaints of harassment and bullying in any section within his Department in the last 12 months.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 11 June 2012
	Details are not available due to data protection issues.

Children in Care

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many children each provider of services for looked-after children has in their care;
	(2)  how much his Department has paid to each private provider for services relating to looked-after children in each of the last 10 years.

Edward Timpson: Information on the number of looked after children in each local authority by the provider of their placement is shown in the following table. The table shows the number of children placed at 31 March 2012. It includes the number of children whose placement is provided by a private provider.
	The Department does not generally commission services directly from private providers. Services are commissioned by local authorities as appropriate to meet the needs of their care population. Although the Department collects information on the numbers of children whose placement is provided by a private provider it does not collect information on the payments made by local authorities to such providers.
	
		
			 Children looked after at 31 March by placement provider, by local authority(1,2)—Year ending 31 March 2012, Coverage: England 
			 Number 
			   Placement provider 
			  All children Own provision (by the local authority) Other local authority provision Other public provision (e.g. by a PCT etc) Private provision Voluntary/third sector provision Parents or other person with parental responsibility(3) Placement Provider not Reported(4) 
			 England 67,050 39,710 1,290 270 20,630 1,300 3,600 260 
			          
			 North East 4,110 2,760 100 10 990 90 160 10 
			 Darlington 205 140 x x 55 x x 0 
			 Durham 660 460 x 0 150 x 30 0 
			 Gateshead 385 295 20 0 55 x 10 x 
			 Hartlepool 175 135 x 0 35 0 x x 
			 Middlesbrough 350 160 x 0 170 x 10 0 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 550 360 0 x 170 x 15 0 
			 North Tyneside 300 245 x 0 30 x 15 0 
			 Northumberland 280 195 20 x 45 5 5 x 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 170 85 10 x 55 15 x 0 
			 South Tyneside 315 180 10 0 95 x 20 x 
			 Stockton-On-Tees 335 190 10 x 115 x 20 0 
			 Sunderland 390 310 x 5 15 40 10 x 
			          
			 North West 11,360 6,970 280 50 2,810 160 1,070 30 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 360 245 15 0 60 x 30 x 
			 Blackpool 435 315 0 0 90 0 25 0 
			 Bolton 515 385 25 0 45 x 55 0 
			 Bury 325 160 40 x 65 x 55 0 
			 Cheshire East 435 205 15 x 160 x 40 0 
			 Cheshire West and Chester 365 250 15 0 80 x 15 x 
			 Cumbria 600 460 10 x 75 x 45 0 
			 Halton 125 110 0 x 10 x x x 
			 Knowsley 255 190 x x 25 x 25 10 
			 Lancashire 1,325 670 x x 465 35 135 0 
			 Liverpool 900 485 15 x 280 5 110 x 
		
	
	
		
			 Manchester 1,310 645 0 10 550 5 95 5 
			 Oldham 325 225 0 0 60 0 40 0 
			 Rochdale 450 230 20 x 125 20 50 0 
			 Salford 555 350 30 x 115 x 45 x 
			 Sefton 400 205 0 x 125 30 40 0 
			 St. Helens 335 205 x 0 80 x 40 0 
			 Stockport 300 200 10 x 65 x 20 x 
			 Tameside 390 280 10 x 55 x 35 x 
			 Trafford 280 185 15 x 45 x 25 0 
			 Warrington 235 150 x 0 70 x 10 0 
			 Wigan 480 315 25 0 75 10 55 0 
			 Wirral 675 495 x x 85 x 80 x 
			          
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 7,530 4,800 160 30 1,790 150 590 10 
			 Barnsley 225 145 x 0 60 10 10 x 
			 Bradford 895 690 20 x 90 x 80 0 
			 Calderdale 355 210 25 x 90 x 25 x 
			 Doncaster 510 245 x x 215 15 25 0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 315 195 x x 95 x 15 0 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 615 510 20 x 30 0 55 0 
			 Kirklees 640 305 x x 230 20 80 0 
			 Leeds 1,475 885 15 5 385 50 130 0 
			 North East Lincolnshire 155 140 5 x 5 x x 0 
			 North Lincolnshire 170 130 10 x 30 x x 0 
			 North Yorkshire 480 355 20 x 45 15 40 x 
			 Rotherham 380 195 x x 150 x 30 x 
			 Sheffield 610 320 15 10 210 x 50 x 
			 Wakefield 435 290 x x 120 0 20 0 
			 York 255 190 10 0 25 x 25 x 
			          
			 East Midlands 4,740 3,360 80 30 1,070 30 150 20 
			 Derby 480 300 x x 145 0 20 0 
			 Derbyshire 700 590 0 x 95 0 x 0 
			 Leicester 520 400 50 0 40 x 20 x 
			 Leicestershire 375 285 x x 70 x 15 x 
			 Lincolnshire 500 445 x 0 25 x 25 0 
			 Northamptonshire 795 360 x x 385 x 25 5 
			 Nottingham 540 270 x 5 240 15 x x 
			 Nottinghamshire 800 690 x 15 65 x 25 x 
			 Rutland 30 20 x 0 x 0 x 0 
			          
			 West Midlands 8,470 4,700 70 20 3,050 70 530 50 
			 Birmingham 1,895 1,010 10 x 710 x 135 20 
			 Coventry 580 255 10 0 280 x 25 x 
			 Dudley 680 380 10 x 220 x 60 0 
			 Herefordshire 210 155 x x 45 x 10 0 
			 Sandwell 575 320 10 x 175 25 35 x 
			 Shropshire 205 155 10 x 40 0 x 0 
			 Solihull 365 140 x x 185 x 35 x 
			 Staffordshire 875 470 x x 360 0 45 x 
			 Stoke-On-Trent 440 245 0 x 155 x 30 x 
			 Telford and Wrekin 300 165 0 x 125 x x 0 
			 Walsall 490 315 10 x 120 x 35 0 
			 Warwickshire 680 500 0 0 130 x 45 x 
		
	
	
		
			 Wolverhampton 575 285 x x 255 0 30 x 
			 Worcestershire 600 300 x 0 250 x 35 x 
			          
			          
			 East of England 6,430 3,610 100 20 2,310 120 250 30 
			 Bedford 215 115 x x 85 0 10 0 
			 Central Bedfordshire 210 100 x 0 95 5 x 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 470 215 x x 225 0 15 0 
			 Essex 1,485 855 25 0 525 25 55 0 
			 Hertfordshire 1,055 725 x 10 290 10 15 x 
			 Luton 385 200 15 x 135 x 25 x 
			 Norfolk 1,010 480 0 x 440 55 25 x 
			 Peterborough 335 160 x 0 150 x 15 0 
			 Southend-on-Sea 240 140 x x 60 15 15 0 
			 Suffolk 780 490 x x 205 10 70 x 
			 Thurrock 240 130 10 x 90 x x 0 
			          
			 London 10,250 4,580 270 60 4,690 350 250 60 
			 Inner London 4,560 1,930 160 30 2,120 180 120 30 
			 Camden 265 100 x x 150 0 15 0 
			 City Of London 5 x 0 0 x 0 0 0 
			 Hackney 305 205 10 x 60 10 10 x 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 225 105 x 0 90 20 x x 
			 Haringey 575 200 x x 345 15 5 x 
			 Islington 330 145 x x 120 35 10 10 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 140 80 x x 30 15 10 x 
			 Lambeth 510 25 100 x 365 x x x 
			 Lewisham 500 160 x x 255 60 15 x 
			 Newham 445 125 0 x 305 x 10 x 
			 Southwark 550 325 15 x 185 10 15 x 
			 Tower Hamlets 295 205 0 x 80 0 x 0 
			 Wandsworth 215 140 x x 50 x 15 0 
			 Westminster 210 110 5 x 85 5 x 0 
			          
			 Outer London 5,680 2,650 110 30 2,570 170 130 40 
			 Barking and Dagenham 425 260 0 0 155 x 10 x 
			 Barnet 300 155 10 0 125 x 5 x 
			 Bexley 240 180 x x 55 x 0 x 
			 Brent 360 155 x x 190 0 15 x 
			 Bromley 275 160 0 x 90 0 25 x 
			 Croydon 745 310 10 x 390 25 5 x 
			 Ealing 410 170 0 x 195 35 5 x 
			 Enfield 310 135 x x 120 45 10 x 
			 Greenwich 565 190 0 x 350 10 5 x 
			 Harrow 155 85 x 0 55 15 0 x 
			 Havering 185 100 x x 80 0 x 0 
			 Hillingdon 375 185 x x 170 x x x 
			 Hounslow 320 135 x x 165 5 10 x 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 125 70 20 0 30 x x 0 
			 Merton 130 45 5 x 55 x 5 10 
			 Redbridge 215 100 x x 100 x 5 x 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 75 35 x 0 35 x x 0 
			 Sutton 155 85 5 0 55 x x x 
			 Waltham Forest 310 100 45 x 155 x x 0 
			          
		
	
	
		
			 South East 8,720 5,500 130 30 2,470 180 370 40 
			 Bracknell Forest 100 55 x 0 40 x x 0 
			 Brighton and Hove 485 225 5 x 240 x 10 0 
			 Buckinghamshire 370 165 15 x 165 x 15 0 
			 East Sussex 620 435 x x 140 15 15 0 
			 Hampshire 1,105 680 0 x 295 35 85 x 
			 Isle Of Wight 160 145 0 0 0 0 15 0 
			 Kent 1,800 1,280 25 x 395 x 70 20 
			 Medway Towns 445 305 10 x 105 x 15 x 
			 Milton Keynes 280 175 x 0 70 0 20 x 
			 Oxfordshire 450 270 x x 145 5 20 0 
			 Portsmouth 300 185 5 0 75 x 20 x 
			 Reading 240 115 x 0 110 x 5 0 
			 Slough 170 70 x 0 95 x 0 0 
			 Southampton 430 300 15 x 90 x 15 x 
			 Surrey 805 505 x x 235 35 20 5 
			 West Berkshire 125 85 x 0 25 5 x 0 
			 West Sussex 675 415 0 0 200 30 25 0 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 95 50 x x 30 10 x 0 
			 Wokingham 70 35 0 x 25 5 x 0 
			          
			 South West 5,450 3,440 110 20 1,460 150 240 20 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 165 110 x 0 45 x x x 
			 Bournemouth 250 130 x x 105 x 15 0 
			 Bristol, City of 685 435 10 x 185 30 20 x 
			 Cornwall 480 370 x x 80 0 15 5 
			 Devon 710 355 x x 295 15 35 0 
			 Dorset 300 215 x 0 45 15 15 x 
			 Gloucestershire 460 295 x 0 105 25 35 0 
			 Isles Of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Somerset 230 145 10 0 55 10 x x 
			 Plymouth 385 240 25 x 90 5 15 x 
			 Poole 160 125 5 0 25 x x x 
			 Somerset 495 330 15 5 95 20 30 0 
			 South Gloucestershire 210 135 x 0 65 0 x 0 
			 Swindon 255 180 10 x 40 5 10 x 
			 Torbay 250 115 x x 120 0 10 0 
			 Wiltshire 415 260 0 x 115 15 25 x 
			 x = Figures not shown in order to protect confidentiality. See technical notes for information on data suppression. (1) England and Regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Other numbers have been rounded to the nearest five. (2) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (3) A placement provider does not apply to children who are placed with parents. (4) Placement Provider not reported: This includes children who are reported missing from their agreed placement, children placed under “other placement” (unspecified) and some children who are placed for adoption where this is to protect the whereabouts of the child. Source: SSDA 903

Children in Care

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average caseload is of a social worker working in children's services in England.

Edward Timpson: The Government do not collect data on the caseload of social workers. The most recent comprehensive study—‘Social Workers' Workload Survey’ —carried out by the Social Work Task Force in 2009, found that:
	26% of social workers reported a caseload of 0 to 10 active cases;
	36% reported 11 to 20;
	12% reported 21 to 30;
	7% reported over 30 cases; and
	18% did not respond.
	Employers of social workers are responsible for managing their social work workforce and ensuring that they have manageable caseloads.

Commission On Childcare

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which Minister in his Department has responsibility for the work of the Commission on Childcare; and by what date the Commission is expected to report.

Elizabeth Truss: As Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Childcare, I lead on the Commission on childcare in the Department for Education. The Commission on Childcare is led jointly by the DFE and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The Minister for Pensions, the hon. Member for Thornbury and Yate (Steve Webb), is the lead Minister at the DWP.
	The Commission will report this autumn.

Domestic Violence

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what training is available to teachers to (a) improve their awareness and understanding of domestic violence and (b) help them recognise signs of domestic violence in children.

Edward Timpson: All teachers are required to satisfy the Teachers' Standards, which include “having regard for the need to safeguard pupils' well-being, in accordance with statutory provisions”. The Government believe that head teachers are best placed to make the right decisions on training and continuing professional development for all school staff. Individual schools know best how to address safeguarding issues affecting their pupils, and we would expect them to provide appropriate pastoral support for children who are witnessing domestic violence.

Education: Assessments

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to ensure that the tripartite arrangements for GCSE and A level qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland continue in any revised examination arrangements introduced in England.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 October 2012
	The regulators for England, Wales and Northern Ireland continue to discuss with their fellow regulators issues across the three countries. As differences in policy emerge in the three countries, as is normal in a devolved system, three-country regulation will need to be kept under review.

Further Education

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils in (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England and Wales stayed on in education after 16 in each of the last five years.

David Laws: Data on participation in education post-16 are published in a Department for Education (DFE) Statistical First Release (SFR) entitled "Participation in Education. Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England". The latest data on participation at local authority level relate to a snapshot at the end of 2010 (and so partway through the 2010/11 academic year).
	Table 1 shows the proportion of young people of academic age 16 in education and work-based learning for end 2006-10 in Nottinghamshire, the East Midlands and England. This data is not available for parliamentary constituencies or for England and Wales.
	
		
			 Table 1: Participation in education and work-based learning for young people of academic age 16 in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands and England, end 2006-10 
			  Percentage of cohort 
			  End 2006 End 2007 End 2008 End 2009 End 2010 
			 Nottinghamshire 82 84 86 88 89 
			 East Midlands 83 85 89 91 94 
			 England 87 88 91 94 96 
			 Notes: 1. The definition of education and work-based learning includes young people enrolled in either full or part-time education in either state or independent schools, General FE, tertiary or specialist colleges, sixth form colleges, higher education institutions or taking part in work based learning (almost exclusively apprenticeships by 2010). 2. Academic age 16 is the cohort of young people in their first year post-compulsory schooling.

Free School Meals

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many 16 to 18 year-olds who were entitled to free school meals in year 11 are studying in a general further education or sixth form college in (a) Redcar and Cleveland and (b) Middlesbrough local authorities.

David Laws: The following table shows estimates for the number 16 to 18-year-olds who were entitled to free school meals (FSM) in year 11 who studied in further education colleges and sixth form colleges in Redcar and Cleveland and Middlesbrough local authorities in the 2010/11 academic year.
	
		
			 16 to 18-year-olds in further education colleges and sixth form colleges in Redcar and Cleveland and Middlesbrough 2010/11 by FSM status at age 15 
			  Full-time/part-time status in post-16 study Redcar and Cleveland Middlesbrough 
			 Eligible for FSM at 15 Full-time education 350 735 
			  Part-time education 45 170 
			  Total 390 905 
			     
			 Not eligible for FSM at 15 Full-time education 2,205 2,910 
			  Part-time education 140 430 
			  Total 2,345 3,340 
			     
			 Unknown FSM status at 15 Full-time education 100 165 
			  Part-time education 10 35 
			  Total 110 200 
			     
		
	
	
		
			 All Full-time education 2,650 3,810 
			  Part-time education 195 635 
			  Total 2,845 4,445 
			 Note: Data are rounded to the nearest five students. The components of each table may not sum to the total due to independent rounding

Higher Education: Admissions

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils achieved five or more A to C grades at GCSE in (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England and Wales went on to higher education in each of the last five years.

David Laws: The following table shows the proportion of pupils achieving five or more A to C grades at GCSE or equivalent that progress to enter higher education, regardless of level of study, within three academic years of the completion of Key Stage 4. These figures are only available for pupils who completed Key Stage 4 in the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 in England.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Pupils achieving 5+ GCSE A*-C and at the end of Key Stage 4 in: 
			  2005 2006 2007 
			 Ashfield 45 45 39 
			 Nottinghamshire 52 49 49 
			 East Midlands 53 54 52 
			 England 54 55 54

Independent Special Schools

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to create a legal definition for independent special schools, as distinct from independent mainstream schools, for the purposes of the Children and Families Bill.

Elizabeth Truss: The legal definition of an independent school includes schools that make provision for mainstream pupils, as well as those that are specially organised to cater for pupils with special educational needs. The Department has not taken any steps to introduce a separate legal definition of an independent special school. We will, of course, consider representations made on this issue as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft SEN provisions in the Children and Families Bill.

Literacy: Teaching Methods

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the primary school phonics screening check.

Elizabeth Truss: We have commissioned NfER to undertake an independent evaluation of the check over a three-year period, to look at the impact on the teaching of phonics and wider literacy in schools. We expect the first interim report to be published at the end of the year.
	An independent evaluation of the pilot of the phonics check in 2011 was carried out by Sheffield Hallam University, and a copy of their final report is available on the Department's website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/pedagogy/a00197709/phonics-screening-year-1
	The evaluation found that the check helped 43% of teachers to identify pupils with issues in phonic decoding of which they were not previously aware.

Pre-school Education: Blackpool

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the per pupil value is of the nursery education grant in Blackpool.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department funds local authorities for early education through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), which supports the majority of education provision for children, aged three to 16. The Department calculates a total amount of DSG for each local authority and distributes it to them, but does not separately identify an amount of funding for early education at national level. Local authorities make decisions about the amount of DSG to be spent on early education, in consultation with their Schools Forum.
	Local authorities report on financial expenditure through section 251 returns. According to the section 251 data, Blackpool budgeted to spend £5.2 million on free early education for three and four-year-olds in 2011-12 and £5.3 million in 2012-13. This equates to £2,574.94 per child for 2011-12 and £2,585.88 per child in 2012-13. Further information can be found on the Department's website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/earlylearningandchildcare/delivery/b00211546/foundation-years-benchmarking-tool

Public Expenditure

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what budget (a) overspends and (b) underspends his Department has identified in 2012-13 to date.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 October 2012
	A breakdown and explanation of the 2011-12 outturn can be found in the Department for Education Annual Report and Accounts, published on the Departments website. On page 24/25 you will find a breakdown and explanation of material over and underspends against budget:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/reports/a00390/annual-departmental-reports-accounts-and-spending-reviews
	In 2012/13 Departmental Expenditure Limit is £52,452 million for Resource and £4,563 million for Capital. We are currently in the middle of our mid-year review process where we are scrutinising our budgets and forecasts, to ascertain any over or underspends. This will be presented to Parliament in the Supplementary Estimate in February.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what additional funding has been given to schools in Worcestershire through the pupil premium.

David Laws: The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011. Pupil premium funding is provided to schools which have on roll pupils known to be eligible for free school meals (the deprivation premium); children in care who have been continuously looked after for at least six months (the looked after child premium); and children whose parents are serving in the armed forces (the service child premium).
	In the financial year 2011-12, 9,820 pupils in Worcestershire local authority area were eligible for the deprivation premium, the looked after child premium or service child premium, attracting £4.77 million.
	In the financial year 2012-13, 14,080 pupils in Worcestershire local authority area were eligible for the deprivation premium, the looked after child premium or service child premium, attracting £8.629 million.
	The deprivation and looked after premium is set to rise to £900 per pupil in 2013-14 and the service premium is set to rise to £300 per pupil. Figures relating to the number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium in 2013-14 are not yet available. Provisional estimates will be published on the Department for Education's website when the data is available.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much pupil premium will be allocated to schools in Pendle constituency in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

David Laws: The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011. Pupil premium funding is provided to schools which have on roll pupils known to be eligible for free school meals (the deprivation premium); children in care who have been continuously looked after for at least six months (the looked after child premium); and children whose parents are serving in the armed forces (the service child premium).
	In the financial year 2012-13, 3,440 pupils in Pendle constituency area were eligible for either the deprivation premium or service child premium, attracting £2.057 million. It is not possible to identify, at constituency level, the number of pupils eligible for the looked after child premium or the number of pupils eligible for the deprivation
	premium in alternative provision settings.
	The deprivation and looked after premium is set to rise to £900 per pupil in 2013-14 and the service premium is set to rise to £300 per pupil. Figures relating to the number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium in 2013-14 are not yet available. Provisional estimates will be published on the Department for Education's website when the data is available.

Schools: Attendance

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent steps his Department has taken to improve school attendance figures.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department has reduced the threshold for which a pupil can be classified as persistently absent from 20% to 15% to enable schools to tackle patterns of poor attendance early. We have increased the amount that a parent can be fined for their child's irregular school attendance from £50 to £60, if paid within 28 days, and from £100 to £120 if paid within 42 days. We will be implementing further measures in line with the recommendations made by Charlie Taylor in his review of school attendance. The Taylor report can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/a00208164/taylor-review

Schools: Finance

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he next plans to compile and publish a report on the cost of schooling.

David Laws: In 2004, the (then) Department for Education and Skills published a research report entitled ‘The Cost of Schooling’ conducted by BMRB Social Research. This survey of parents/carers and schools involved establishing what costs schools expected parents to meet. The Department for Education carefully considers what research to undertake and commission. We do not have any plans, at this time, to produce a similar report. However, the Department does provide guidance to schools on charging for school activities, which is available on the Department's website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/advice/f00213976/school-charging

Social Services: Public Appointments

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to announce the appointment of the Chief Social Worker.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 23 October 2012
	The Department for Education and Department of Health conducted a recruitment exercise for the chief social worker over the summer but this did not lead to a suitable candidate being identified. Ministers in the two Departments are therefore currently considering a revised specification and expect to advertise shortly.

UK Council for Child Internet Safety

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the future work plan of the UK Council on Child Internet Safety; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 23 October 2012
	The work of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) is discussed and agreed by the UKCCIS Executive Board at scheduled quarterly meetings. These activities are recorded in the meeting notes which are published on the UKCCIS website shortly after each meeting.

Young People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what work is underway to produce the year-on review of his Positive for Youth Policy document; and when it will be published.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 23 October 2012
	Officials are currently working on plans for marking the one year anniversary of the publication of Positive for Youth, including the publication of information and data showing progress that has been made in the sector since December 2011.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Bumi PLC

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on Bumi PLC.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 19 October 2012
	The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not received any representations in relation to Bumi PLC.

Business: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much he has spent on advertising and marketing for the Business in You campaign.

Michael Fallon: Since the launch of the Business in You Campaign in January 2012, £1,676,303 has been spent on advertising and marketing.

Business: Loans

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Business Finance Taskforce pledge of October 2010, what recent assessment his Department has made of the progress by banks on signposting alternative sources of finance if a loan is declined.

Michael Fallon: The most recent SME Finance Monitor published in September showed that 13% of those SMEs initially declined an overdraft and 9% of those declined a loan said that the bank had not offered them any alternative form of funding to the declined loan, or suggested any alternative sources of external finance. However, the BBA has put in place a free website:
	www.businessfinanceforyou.co.uk
	which includes alternative sources of finance to assist SMEs in finding alternatives.
	Under the taskforce, major banks have also established a pilot scheme for formally referring applicants to Community Development Finance Institutions, where this is appropriate for the business. This scheme was piloted in September, and will be rolled out nationally in due course.
	I met with Anthony Browne of the British Bankers Association earlier this month to emphasise the importance the Government attach to progress on these issues.

Business: Loans

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Business Finance Taskforce pledge of October 2010, what recent assessment his Department has made of the progress by the banks on establishing a transparent appeals process for when loan applications are declined.

Michael Fallon: The first annual report of the independent appeals process was published by Russel Griggs on 31 May of this year at:
	http://www.betterbusinessfinance.co.uk/
	His report showed that an appeal resulted in an overturned decision and a better outcome for the applicant in 40% of cases, although few businesses were aware of the process. The report included details of ways in which the banks are improving their processes to improve outcomes for loan applicants.
	More recently, the SME Finance Monitor published in September showed that only 12% of SMEs are aware of the process. Russel Griggs as independent reviewer continues to engage with the banks to ensure that the necessary training and resources are in place, such as improved decline letters, to ensure SMEs are aware of the process.
	I met with Anthony Browne of the British Bankers Association earlier this month to emphasise the importance the Government attach to progress on these issues.

Business: Regulation

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of impact assessments for regulatory or deregulatory proposals have been ruled not fit for purpose by the Regulatory Policy Committee.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 22 October 2012
	The Regulatory Policy Committee's (RPC) report ‘Improving Regulation’ was published in March 2012 and presents information on the quality of impact assessments (IAs):
	http://regulatorypolicycommittee.independent.gov.uk/fourth-rpc-report
	It shows that, of 465 Opinions issued on IAs submitted to RPC for the first time in 2011, 28% received a ‘not fit for purpose’ rating.
	The RPC's next report, which will present information on Opinions issued between January and August 2012, is expected to be published by the end of October 2012.

Construction: Apprentices

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department provides to people applying for apprenticeships in the construction industry.

Matthew Hancock: The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) has responsibility for the delivery of Apprenticeships in England. NAS works with schools and provides materials aimed at helping young people make informed choices when considering Apprenticeships across all sectors. In addition NAS also offers the Apprenticeship vacancies online system, which can be accessed via:
	http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk
	where individuals can apply for existing vacancies and register their interest in particular areas for notification of suitable vacancies. The website also holds specific information on the range of jobs roles available in construction through Apprenticeships.
	Following a successful Apprenticeship Construction Summit in June, NAS and officials continue to work closely with the construction sector to identify what more can be done to promote and support apprenticeship opportunities within the sector.

Construction: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the value of the construction industry in (a) Scotland and (b) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency.

Michael Fallon: On 14 September the Office for National Statistics published their latest estimate of construction output by devolved Administration and region. In 2011 the estimated value of construction output in Scotland was £10.9 billion. The estimate for the first six months of 2012 is £4.7 billion.
	Unfortunately similar data is not available at a constituency level.
	Source:
	ONS Output in the Construction Industry, July 2012

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the judgment in the case of Flos v. Semararo with respect to section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; and what steps he has considered taking in response to the judgment.

Jo Swinson: The repeal of section 52 is designed to clarify and update UK legislation in line with EU law.
	The Government took account of all relevant factors in making its decisions.

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the number of businesses that may relocate to Estonia or Romania as a result of the proposed changes to section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Jo Swinson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to make such estimates.

Employee Ownership Scheme

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the employee ownership scheme he announced on 8 October 2012, whether employee ownership shares will be required to confer voting rights in order to qualify for exemption from capital gains tax on disposal.

Jo Swinson: We are currently carrying out a public consultation on this proposal. As part of that consultation process we are seeking views on what restrictions, if any, should be attached to the issue of shares or type of shares.
	The consultation closes on the 8 November 2012.

Employee Ownership Scheme

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the employee ownership scheme he announced on 8 October 2012, what eligibility criteria will apply for firms and employees taking part in the scheme.

Jo Swinson: holding answer 18 October 2012
	There are currently no defined eligibility criteria which will apply to firms and employees taking part in the scheme.
	We are currently consulting on how the scheme will be implemented and how it will work in practice. The consultation closes on 8 November.

Employee Ownership Scheme

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to businesses of implementing the employee ownership scheme announced on 8 October 2012.

Jo Swinson: holding answer 19 October 2012
	We are currently consulting on how the scheme will be implemented and how it will work in practice. The consultation closes on 8 November and the responses to the consultation will inform the scheme's design.
	Until this process is finished we are unable to provide an estimate of costs to companies.

Employment: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the net change in the number of private sector jobs has been in (a) Denton and Reddish constituency and (b) the Greater Manchester region since May 2010.

Michael Fallon: Figures separately counting the number of public and private sector jobs by detailed geographies are only collected on an annual basis.
	The following table contains total private sector employment for both regions in 2009, 2010 and 2011, rounded to the nearest 100 and the percentage changes between years. After a fall in private sector employment between 2009 and 2010 there was no discernable change in employment levels between 2010 and 2011. The tiny changes illustrated in the table can be attributed to survey error and should not be taken to signify growth or contraction in the number jobs.
	
		
			 Total private sector employment in the Denton and Reddish constituency and the Greater Manchester local enterprise partnership 2009-11 
			  Denton and Reddish Greater Manchester 
			 2009 21,200 946,800 
			 2010 19,800 920,700 
			 2011 19,900 919,500 
			    
			 Percentage change 2009/10 -6.5 -2.8 
			 Percentage change 2010/11 0.2 -0.1 
			 Source: Business Register and Employment Survey public/private sector data (NOMIS)

In-flight Refuelling

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the Airbus multi-role tanker transport purchased by the United Arab Emirates Airforce was made in the UK.

Michael Fallon: The UK content of the civil version of the A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) is around 30%, including Rolls Royce engines. The MRTT version for the Unite Arab Emirates (UAE) will have additional defence equipments supplied from the UK.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: East Midlands

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Nottingham and Derby Local Enterprise Partnership; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 23 October 2012
	As partnerships of business and civic leaders, local enterprise partnerships are first and foremost accountable to their local community and local businesses. We have removed a time consuming system of centrally-driven performance assessments and targets from LEPs to allow them to focus their efforts on driving local economic growth.
	I am pleased to see that D2N2 have successfully lobbied for key infrastructure improvements like the dualling of the A453 and electrification of the Midland Mainline, and have successfully applied for a large allocation of the Regional Growth Fund to support SMEs in their area.
	BIS officials are also working closely with D2N2 in support of their efforts to tackle barriers to growth and grasp growth opportunities.
	BIS and DCLG has announced £24 million core funding to allow local enterprise partnerships to further develop their local growth plans. D2N2 will receive an additional £125,000 this year and will be able to access up to £250,000 in both 2013/14 and 2014/15 if they are able to match that funding from their local partners.
	I would also like to congratulate D2N2 LEP on the announcement on 19 October that their bid for funding from the Regional Growth Fund has been selected to go through to due diligence. I am sure the Partnership will be able to make good use of the funding to support local small and medium sized businesses.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to answer the letter sent to him by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 12 September 2012 with regard to Mr J Lambert.

Helen Grant: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	I answered the right hon. Member's letter on 19 October 2012.

Music: Licensing

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the cost to small businesses of Performing Rights Society and Phonographic Performance Ltd licensing.

Jo Swinson: holding answer 18 October 2012
	The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not assessed the cost to small businesses of the Performing Rights Society and Phonographic Performance Ltd. However, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), to the hon. Member for Warrington South on 5 September 2011, Official Report, column 333W:
	“The broader licensing and enforcement framework is set out in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The collecting society functions of PRS, PPL, and other collecting societies are not specifically regulated by the Government at present. However, the Government have recently accepted a recommendation made by Professor Ian Hargreaves, in his independent review of Intellectual Property and Growth, that collecting societies be regulated through codes of conduct that enshrine minimum standards of fairness and transparency and which govern their relations with licensees.”
	The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill currently being taken through Parliament would provide the Government with a power to enforce a statutory code of conduct if self regulation by Collecting Societies fails to meet those minimum standards.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department have taken to prepare for the introduction of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Jo Swinson: RCUK SSC Ltd has taken over the provision of procurement services on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) from the 1 August 2012.
	Currently, as part of this service provision and before commencing procurement, we ask the contracting authority to consider the subject matter of the contract and identify any non-commercial considerations which are relevant and appropriate to be taken into account. Examples include, when scoping the project, deciding on packaging, drafting specifications, sustainability and life-cycle requirements and selecting the contract structure. This is always balanced against the existing legislative requirements (Public Contract Regulations 2006) to consider that the relevance and proportionality of any non-commercial considerations in procurement decisions will still hold firm as to the extent to which those requirements are achievable.
	Whenever it is considered as appropriate to build in such “social value” issues this will be carried into the documentation and will feature in:
	1. The selection and award criteria—to form part of the evaluation of the most appropriate provider;
	2. The contract terms and conditions—to ensure compliance; and
	3. The contract management process—to ensure performance in line with the requirements of the service.
	This approach is currently part of existing best practice procurement at RCUK SSC Ltd on behalf of its clients-what will change from 1 January 2013 is that this activity will be undertaken under the banner of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much he has spent on advertising and marketing for the Regional Growth Fund.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not spent any funding directly on advertising and marketing for Regional Growth Fund (RGF). Using specialist communications staff within the RGF Secretariat and press offices across Whitehall, the Department has worked with regional and national press, promoted the fund through key stakeholders and utilised digital media rather than spending money on a traditional campaign.

Regional Growth Fund: East Midlands

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been invested in (a) the East Midlands, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) Gedling from the Regional Growth Fund.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 23 October 2012
	Conditional allocations of £2.4 billion have been made from the three Regional Growth Fund bidding rounds. Of this, £16 million, £72 million and £63 million has been allocated to East Midlands in Round 1, 2 and 3 respectively. A total of £25 million has been allocated to Nottinghamshire from the three rounds.
	None of the selected bids was located in Gedling; however, bids have been assigned a single location and activity can occur at multiple sites. In addition, LEP and Public/Private programmes from the three rounds operating across that region as well as nationwide programmes will be in a position to offer support to companies, in particular SMEs, in the Gedling district.

Students: Loans

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) representations he has received on and (b) progress he has made towards developing a Sharia-compliant model for loans to finance university fees and living expenses.

David Willetts: The Government have received representations from student representative bodies regarding this issue, including the National Union of Students and Federation of Student Islamic Societies. In addition, we have received representations from Members of Parliament on behalf of their constituents, and from several universities. The Secretary of State was also asked about alternative finance during an event with Muslim News.
	The Government are clear that they want a single student loan system which can meet the needs of the majority of students where possible.
	The Government have identified an alternative Shariah compliant system that uses a Murabaha which could provide a student with the same level of financial support and produce identical repayments as conventional student loans. However, major issues, such as the need for primary legislation and the treatment of VAT and tax, will need to be overcome which will take time.
	We are also looking at whether there are other finance mechanisms that may overcome some of the issues and be easier to implement while still being Shariah compliant and matching the conventional system.

Temporary Employment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights with UK law relating to agency workers; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: Following the UN endorsement of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in June 2011, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has been developing a UK strategy on business and human rights. The strategy, which he expects to launch shortly, will explain how the Government are meeting the state duty to protect the human rights of individuals within the United Kingdom through a mix of legislation, policies and regulations, including the agency workers regulations.
	The Government are committed to the protection of human rights and to complying with our obligations under the various international conventions to which the UK is a party.

UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff are currently employed within the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO); what the cost was of UKTI DSO in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; what its budget is for 2012-13; and which elements of those costs and budget relate to support for (i) military and (ii) security exports.

Michael Fallon: UKTI DSO staff numbers as at 30 September 2012 were 146.
	DSO's costs in each year covered by the question were:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 (a) 2009-10 13.6 
			 (b) 2010-11 13.3 
			 (c) 2011-12 12.4 
		
	
	DSO budget for 2012-13 is £12.1 Million.
	DSO's resources are used flexibly in support of UK companies in both the defence and security sectors. Separate costs for defence and security are not identified.

CABINET OFFICE

Behavioural Insights Team

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many civil servants of his Department will be working on the partnership with the New South Wales government on behavioural insight;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the time that will be spent per civil servant working on the partnership with the New South Wales government on behavioural insight; and what the salary is of each civil servant working on this project;
	(3)  how many civil servants have been (a) recruited and (b) seconded to work on the partnership with the New South Wales government on behavioural insight; and from which departments.

Oliver Letwin: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 22 October 2012, Official Report, column 669W.

Disasters

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he plans to review his Department's arrangements for disaster planning preparedness; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office continually reviews its arrangements for disaster planning preparedness to reflect learning from both exercises and emergencies, drawing on in-house and external expertise as appropriate. As an example, the Department recently hosted the first ever peer review under the auspices of the United Nations framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which looked at the way in which the UK prepares for and responds to disasters and the role of the Cabinet Office in co-ordinating this activity across Government.

Employment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people who entered employment in the three months up to August 2012 had previously been in receipt of a pension.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people who entered employment in the three months up to August 2012 had previously been in receipt of a pension (124256).
	The information requested is not available. Information on people in employment is available from the Labour Force Survey but insufficient detail is collected to identify all those who had been in receipt of a pension.

Employment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people who entered employment in the three months up to August 2012 entered (a) temporary and (b) part-time work.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people who entered employment in the three months up to August 2012 entered (a) temporary and (b) part-time work (124257).
	The information requested is not available. Estimates of the latest quarterly change in the total number of people in temporary and in part-time work are published in the monthly Labour Market Statistical Bulletin. For the three months ending August 2012, the number of people who were temporary employees increased by 58,000 compared with the previous quarter to 1.621 million. The total number of people in part-time employment increased by 125,000 to 8.129 million.
	Please note that the number of temporary employees will include some people in part-time employment. Also, the total in part-time employment includes some temporary employees.
	These estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey and are seasonally adjusted. As with any sample survey, the estimates are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Indications of the sampling variability of the LFS aggregate estimates are provided in the Labour Market Statistical Bulletin,

Newspaper Licensing Agency

Ian Murray: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost was of Newspaper Licensing Agency licences for web content to the Government, by Department, for each year since 2010.

Chloe Smith: This information is not collated centrally. Each Government Department and agency is responsible for ensuring they hold the appropriate Newspaper Licensing Agency licence.

Official Cars

Maria Eagle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that the proposed contracting out of back-up cars to Departments for ministerial travel will involve sufficient safety and security checks on drivers to ensure that ministerial safety and official documents are not compromised; and what security checks he proposes will be carried out on such drivers;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that the contracting out of back-up cars to Departments for ministerial travel will maintain the security levels of current ministerial car travel.

Chloe Smith: Any provider of cars for ministerial travel has to maintain appropriate safety and security checks as detailed in the tender.

Private Education: Charities

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many independent schools in England have charitable status.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission's chief executive to reply.
	Letter from Sam Younger CBE, dated 23 October 2012
	.
	‘Independent school’ is not a formal classification for charity law or registration purposes, so the Charity Commission cannot easily identify or provide an exact figure for independent schools in England that are registered charities. Schools fall within the charitable purpose of advancing education. Over 84,000 registered charities in England and Wales are classified as advancing education, but only a few of these will be independent schools.
	In addition, the Department for Education's academies programme has so far created over 2,300 new, publicly funded independent schools. The charities that run these schools, Academy Trusts, are exempt from registration and regulation by the Commission; DfE is their principal regulator for the purpose of charity law. Some Academy Trusts run more than one school, so the number of charities is less than the number of schools.

Unemployment

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many people aged (a) 25 years old and over and (b) 16 to 24 years old had been unemployed for more than a year in May (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 in (A) Wrexham constituency, (B) each constituency in Wales and (C) the UK;
	(2)  how many private sector jobs were created in Wrexham constituency in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking how many people aged (a) 25 years and over and (b) 16-24 years had been unemployed for more than a year in May (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 in (A) Wrexham constituency, (B) each constituency in Wales and (C) the UK; and how many private sector jobs were created in Wrexham constituency in each of the last five years. (124512 & 124514)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for the requested age bands, durations and geographies are not available due to small sample sizes.
	As an alternative, in Table 1 we have provided the number of persons, aged 16 to 24, and 25 years and over claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), in the requested geographies, for over 12 months in (a) May 2010, (b) May 2011 and (c) May 2012. The counts of people claiming JSA are those who are claiming benefits for unemployment related purposes. At a UK level the total number of JSA claimants is around two thirds of the total unemployment level.
	Estimates of new jobs created are not available. Whilst information is available for net changes in level, this does not give an estimate of new jobs created. Net changes in level partially reflects jobs lost, partially reflects people who have been recruited into existing jobs that were vacant and consequently does not give any useful information regarding the actual level of new job creation.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1. Number(1) of 16 to 24-year-olds and 25-year-olds and over claiming jobseekers allowance for over 52 weeks in the UK and in each Welsh parliamentary constituency, from May 2010 to May 2012 
			 12 months ending: May 2010 May 2011 May2012 
			  25 and over 16 to 24 years 25 and over 16 to 24 years 25 and over 16 to 24 years 
			 United Kingdom 237,210 28,220 200,640 16,690 330,225 63,780 
			        
			 Wrexham 250 45 280 25 320 75 
			        
			 Aberavon 170 30 110 5 205 75 
			 Aberconwy 145 25 120 15 235 50 
			 Alyn and Deeside 225 35 210 30 305 75 
			 Arfon 215 20 85 5 260 60 
			 Blaenau Gwent 845 210 290 45 825 240 
			 Brecon and Radnorshire 135 30 115 10 200 40 
			 Bridgend 185 30 85 10 300 70 
			 Caerphilly 525 150 320 25 630 175 
			 Cardiff Central 330 60 420 40 595 110 
			 Cardiff North 185 25 205 25 300 85 
			 Cardiff South and Penarth 405 75 555 55 720 180 
			 Cardiff West 335 60 385 50 605 145 
			 Carmarthen East and Dinefwr 135 15 75 0 200 65 
			 Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire 130 20 120 10 225 50 
			 Ceredigion 110 10 75 5 160 30 
			 Clwyd South 265 40 235 25 310 70 
			 Clwyd West 250 40 210 20 350 65 
		
	
	
		
			 Cynon Valley 310 70 195 20 405 150 
			 Delyn 200 40 225 35 300 65 
			 Dwyfor Meirionnydd 120 25 100 5 165 20 
			 Gower 125 35 45 5 125 25 
			 Islwyn 395 96 165 15 470 135 
			 Llanelli 305 50 170 10 340 90 
			 Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney 690 195 280 35 730 240 
			 Monmouth 165 25 160 20 225 55 
			 Montgomeryshire 95 10 70 5 140 25 
			 Neath 230 40 145 15 250 70 
			 Newport East 295 65 300 45 600 115 
			 Newport West 380 65 405 45 630 155 
			 Ogmore 270 60 90 10 350 95 
			 Pontypridd 225 50 130 15 315 80 
			 Preseli Pembrokeshire 140 20 125 5 235 70 
			 Rhondda 340 80 155 20 510 175 
			 Swansea East 270 55 165 20 315 70 
			 Swansea West 275 45 170 20 310 90 
			 Torfaen 385 100 340 40 525 150 
			 Vale of Clwyd 285 40 170 15 375 90 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 360 80 310 35 520 170 
			 Ynys Mon 385 65 325 35 500 90 
			 (1) Data are rounded to the nearest five. Note: Age data are only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7% of all claims. Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system

Unemployment: Ethnic Groups

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the rate of unemployment among ethnic minority young men of (a) Afro-Caribbean, (b) Bangladeshi and Pakistani, (c) other Asian and (d) other ethnic origin.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 22 October 2012
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the rate of unemployment among ethnic minority young men of (a) Afro-Caribbean, (b) Bangladeshi and Pakistani, (c) other Asian and (d) other ethnic origin. 124243
	The table provides unemployment rates for the April-June period in 2012. The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and are not seasonally adjusted.
	In accordance with the International Labour Organization (ILO) convention, the unemployment rate is the number of unemployed people divided by the number of people in the workforce, that is, the number of people in employment plus those that are unemployed.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			 Unemployment rate for men aged 16 to 24 by ethnic minority, three months ending June 2012, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Percentage 
			 Black/African/Caribbean/Black British 52 
			 Bangladeshi and Pakistani 23 
			 Other Asian(1) 22 
			 Other ethnic minority groups(2) 33 
			 (1) Includes respondents identifying themselves as 'Indian', 'Chinese' or another Asian background. (2) Includes respondents in Northern Ireland identifying themselves as 'Irish Traveller" and respondents in all UK countries identifying themselves as 'Arab', or with a 'Mixed/multiple' background. Source: Labour Force Survey

WORK AND PENSIONS

Accidents: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what evidence his Department based its decision to withdraw the code of practice on preventing accidents occurring to children in agriculture.

Mark Hoban: HSE's recent public consultation on proposals to review its Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) included a proposal to withdraw the ACOP 'Preventing accidents to children on farms'. A decision on the withdrawal of this ACOP will not be made until the outcome of that consultation exercise has been considered by the HSE Board.
	The ACOP relates to The Prevention of Accidents to Children in Agriculture Regulations 1998 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992, as amended by the Health and Safety (Young Persons) Regulations 1997 but is considered to add little in the way of practical guidance on compliance compared to other publications and sources, such as HSE leaflet AS10 (rev3) 'Preventing accidents to children on farms':
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/as10.pdf
	and the HSE publication 'Farmwise: Your essential guide to health and safety in agriculture':
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg270.htm

Apprentices

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many apprentices working in his Department are (a) paid and (b) completing a qualification as part of the apprenticeship.

Mark Hoban: The information is as follows:
	(a) From July 2012 DWP have employed 233 apprentices on a 12 months apprenticeship. The apprentices are being paid an administrative officer salary.
	(b) All of the apprentices are working towards a national vocational qualification level 2.

Apprentices

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) paid apprentices and (b) paid interns are employed in his Department.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) There are currently 233 paid apprentices with Department for Work and Pensions.
	(b) There is currently one paid intern within Department for Work and Pensions.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 20 December 2011, Official Report, columns 1051-2W, on Atos Healthcare, whether the review of the Atos Healthcare Customer Charter has taken place; and what the outcome was.

Mark Hoban: The Atos Healthcare Customer Charter was reviewed in June 2012 and minor updates to the format agreed. Revised posters are currently being distributed to all assessment centres.

Carer’s Allowance

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland receive carer's allowance, by parliamentary constituency.

Mark Hoban: The Information on the number of people receiving carer's allowance in Scotland is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf

Child Maintenance

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of the 253,500 current Child Support Agency cases with a nil liability, where it is expected that their child maintenance liability would increase, were the proposed child maintenance calculation regulations to apply in their case, broken down by the amount of any increase in bands of £10.

Steve Webb: The rules applied to a case which results in the nil rate being awarded remain largely unchanged between the current and proposed regulations with the exception that students will no longer automatically qualify for this rate.
	There are currently an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 non-resident parents who are students in the CSA schemes. Of these we estimate that around a fifth will not be working and will therefore remain nil assessed; while the rest may be working for a combination of term and/or vacation time where they may well be positively assessed. Based on average wages, taken from the NUS/HSBC Student Experience Report “Employability” (2010), and assuming each has one qualifying child and no shared care then those students in work under these circumstances could be assessed for around £9 per week in term time and £27 per week in vacation time.
	Variations in assessment amount could also result as a consequence of updating the data on which the current assessment is based. Management information on the reasons for a case being nil assessed is not readily available, particularly for the 1993 scheme, so it is not possible to provide an accurate detailed breakdown of the impact of updating information on nil assessed cases without reassessing the individual cases.

Child Maintenance

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents his Department estimated would have an increase in weekly maintenance liability of (a) between £0 and £10, (b) between £10.01 and £20, (c) between £20.01 and £30, (d) between £30.01 and £40, (e) between £40.01 and £50 or (f) £50.01 or more were they to move into the new statutory child maintenance scheme.

Steve Webb: If the current 2003 scheme CSA maintenance assessment is up to date, then the new gross income calculation will result in relatively minor changes in assessment amount, which could be up or down depending on the level of income and the number of children.
	Tabulations of the variations in the assessment amounts between the current 2003 scheme and new gross income calculations, as income and other circumstances change, are published as Annex A to the Child Support Maintenance Calculation Regulations 2012 impact assessment:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/cmec-annual-profile-costs-benefits-ia.pdf
	If the CSA assessment is not up to date (which will be more likely for older cases and particularly 1993 scheme cases), then a new gross income calculation may produce an assessment amount which is significantly different to the current assessed liability.
	An estimate of the differences in assessment values which would be produced if the entire CSA caseload were re-assessed using the gross income calculation is published in the case closure and charging regulations impact assessment (see paragraphs 131 to 135):
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/cm-case-closure-and-charging-regs-ia.pdf

Child Maintenance

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents with a current child support assessment there are who have exempt earnings arising from work as (a) an auxiliary coastguard, (b) a part-time firefighter, (c) a part-time lifeboat crew member, (d) a reserve or territorial force member or (e) a local authority councillor; and what estimate he has made of the potential likely increase in their child maintenance liability were the proposed child maintenance calculation regulations to apply to their case.

Steve Webb: Management information on cases where an exemption is in place is only available on the computer system that supports the 2003 scheme in the form of an exemption indicator. To assure and provide a breakdown of this data as requested would involve looking at individual cases on the live CS2 system and would be at a disproportionate cost. Information is not available for cases on the computer system that supports the 1993 scheme or for those cases managed off system (commonly referred to as 'clerical' cases).
	The following information has therefore been provided by looking at where an ‘exemption indicator’ is present within the management information for the 2003 scheme only.
	As of June 2012, there were 92,620 cases where the non-resident parent had an assessment and an exemption indicator for occupations defined as part-time fire fighter, lifeboat crew member, member of the territorial or reserved forces, councillor or auxiliary coastguard. Included, however, in this number are cases where the non-resident parent has an exemption indicator but the occupation is either missing or defined as 'other' and so may not fall within the categories outlined above.
	To estimate any potential change in the child maintenance liability would involve looking at the individual cases on the system, which would be at a disproportionate cost.

Child Maintenance

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents there are within the Child Support Agency caseload whose current child maintenance liability has been calculated based on income which includes tax credits.

Steve Webb: Tax credit information is not held by the CSA and therefore we are unable to provide the information requested. However using internal analysis of the Families and Children Study 2008; HMRC: Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics—Finalised annual awards 2008-09; and the Households Below Average Income Series: 2008-09, it is estimated that between 300,000 and 400,000 of non-resident parents may be entitled to some tax credits, although not all of these would necessarily be claiming them. This estimate has been published in the Child Support Maintenance Calculation Regulations 2012 impact assessment, published at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/cmec-annual-profile-costs-benefits-ia.pdf

Child Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration he has given to amending the law so that in Scotland, where a non-resident parent is made bankrupt, any child maintenance debt remains recoverable from the non-resident parent.

Steve Webb: My officials have been working with officials in the Scottish Government for some time to determine if it would be in the interests of parents and children, in Scotland, if Scottish law was changed so that it did not allow for the write-off of child maintenance debts in the event of bankruptcy. Presently, unlike in the rest of Great Britain, all arrears of maintenance are written off once a non-resident parent becomes bankrupt in Scotland, as prescribed in Section 55 (2) (d) of the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985.
	There was discussion of this issue between my predecessor, Maria Miller MP, and Fergus Ewing MSP, earlier this year. The Accountant in Bankruptcy (an agency of the Scottish Government) has since overseen a consultation on bankruptcy law reform, seeking views from stakeholders and interested parties on the appetite to change the current position in Scotland.
	The results of the consultation were that, from the 129 responses received, more than half believed that Scottish law on this issue should remain as it is and that child maintenance should continue to be claimable and be discharged in bankruptcies and protected trust deeds when the individual is discharged. The Scottish Government have therefore concluded that now is not the time to proceed with reform in this area.
	This Department will continue to work with the Scottish Government in monitoring the position on this issue and will seek to ensure that as far as possible it reflects the best interests of parents and children in Scotland.

Child Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the new statutory child maintenance scheme will commence.

Steve Webb: We are focused on delivery of the new scheme by the end of this year. But our main priority is to meet the needs of separated parents and so we will only go live when we have a service which is fit and ready for clients.

Child Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of when he expects the current statutory child support scheme to be closed to all new applicants.

Steve Webb: The current schemes will not be closed until the new scheme is open to all clients and working well. The current schemes will then be closed in a controlled manner over a period of time and we expect this to be completed by around 2017/18.

Child Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Child Support Agency has responded to the request of the Independent Case Examiner in May 2011 that it considers amending the Child Support Agency's on-line calculator to include reference to tax credits as part of a non-resident parent's weekly income; and what response was received to any such request.

Steve Webb: With the introduction of the 2012 scheme, the existing CSA schemes calculations have a limited lifespan. It was agreed with the Independent Case Examiner that under these circumstances it would not be cost-effective to move this recommendation forward. The calculator will remain on line to be used as a guide only as a full maintenance calculation is dependant on the following factors:
	Tax credits in payment
	Overnight care of the child
	Other children in the non-resident parent's household.

Community Care Grants

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for community care grants within the Social Fund in the last two years for which figures are available; and what proportion of those were repeat claims.

Steve Webb: Table 1 provides the number of community care grant applications made in 2010/11 and 2011/12 and the proportion of those that were repeat applications.
	
		
			 Table 1: Total number of community care grant applications made in 2010/11 and 2011/12, and the proportion that were repeat applications 
			  Community care grant applications Repeat community care grant applications (Percentage) 
			 2010/11 614,900 16 
			 2011/12 599,900 16 
			 Notes: 1. Repeat applications are defined as those that were made by someone who had already made one or more community care grant applications within the same financial year. 2. The information provided is management information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using official/national statistics but in this case we only have management information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as official/national statistics and there are some issues with the data; for example, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the social fund computer system. 3. This information will not match the 2010/11 and 2011/12 social fund annual reports as it has been taken from a scan of the social fund computer system, rather than our social fund policy, budget and management information system. 4. The application figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 and the percentages have been rounded to the nearest 1%. Source: Social Fund Computer System data scans

Disability Allowance: Children

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children under the age of 16 who have been in receipt of disability allowance for two or more years have had it removed; and how many children under the age of 16 have had their disability allowance disallowed in each of the last five years.

Esther McVey: Information on the numbers of disability living allowance (DLA) claims that have been disallowed or removed, by age group or award length, is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Employment

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the employment, unemployment and economic activity rates for (a) all working age people, (b) all working age disabled people and (c) all working age people with a mental health condition in (i) the London borough of Hillingdon, (ii) Greater London and (iii) the UK, for the latest period for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: The following table shows the latest figures from the April 2011 to March 2012 Annual Population Survey (APS)(1,)( )(2,)( )(3):
	(1) Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	(2) n/a indicates rate not available due to the group sample size being zero or disclosive.
	(3) People who are classed as disabled are those who are considered to be disabled within the Equality Act definition, and are either “DDA Disabled only” or “DDA disabled and work-limited disabled”.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Area  Employment rate Unemployment rate Economic activity rate 
			 London borough of Hillingdon All working age people 69.0 9.6 76.3 
			  All working age disabled people 45.6 16.8 54.8 
			  All working age disabled people with a mental health condition n/a n/a n/a 
			      
			 Greater London All working age people 68.0 9.5 75.1 
			  All working age disabled people 41.1 14.7 48.2 
			  All working age disabled people with a mental health condition 16.4 20.1 20.5 
			      
			 GB All working age people 70.2 8.2 76.5 
			  All working age disabled people 45.2 11.3 50.9 
			  All working age disabled people with a mental health condition 14.7 30.4 21.2 
		
	
	
		
			      
			 UK All working age people 70.1 8.2 76.4 
			  All working age disabled people 44.7 11.4 50.4 
			  All working age disabled people with a mental health condition 14.8 30.1 21.1

Employment and Support Allowance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy that people in the support group of employment and support allowance will not have their eligibility criteria reassessed if they decide to look for work.

Mark Hoban: The existing permitted work rules allow a person to retain all their employment and support allowance for up to a year while undertaking paid work, provided earnings are below £99.50 a week and the hours worked do not exceed 16 hours a week.
	Disabled people placed in the Support Group, who are less likely to move into full-time work, are able to undertake permitted work on an indefinite basis. Unlike claimants in the Work-Related Activity Group, they are not limited to an overall period of a year, provided that earnings do not exceed £99.50 per week and the hours worked do not exceed 16 hours a week. Employment and support allowance claims are reviewed from time to time but not usually because a claimant decides to undertake permitted work. The Department has no immediate plans to change these rules.

Employment Schemes

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent progress his Department has made on mandatory work activity and voluntary work experience schemes in Aberconwy constituency.

Mark Hoban: Using the latest statistics for which data is available I can confirm:
	From May 2011 up to and including February 2012 there were 30 referrals to mandatory work activity and;
	From January 2011 up to and including May 2012 there were 30 starts on the work experience scheme in Aberconwy parliamentary constituency.
	Note:
	All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Housing Benefit: Wales

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of housing benefit claimants in Wales are in active employment.

Steve Webb: The requested information is in the following table:
	
		
			 Number and proportion of housing benefit recipients in Wales who are in employment, May 2012 
			  All HB recipients All non-passported Of which are in employment Percentage of all HB recipients who are in employment 
			 Great Britain 5,031,740 1,753,430 903,440 18.0 
			 Wales 251,310 74,340 33,940 13.5 
			 Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 3. Data is rounded to the nearest 10, percentages to one decimal place. 4. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data is available monthly from November 2008 and May 2012 is the most recent available. 5. This data refers to people receiving housing benefit not in receipt of a passported benefit and are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant, or partner of claimant (if applicable), in calculating the housing benefit award. People receiving passported benefits who are working part-time cannot be identified and are therefore not included in this analysis. Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE)

Housing Benefit: Young People

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people under 25 years of age who will be affected by the withdrawal of housing benefit in each Parliamentary constituency.

Steve Webb: Current Government policy does not include withdrawing housing support from people aged under 25.

Incapacity Benefit

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants in (a) Wrexham constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK were placed in the work-related activity group in each of the last five years.

Mark Hoban: The reassessment of existing incapacity benefits claimants started on 11 October 2010 with a trial in the Burnley and Aberdeen areas. The full roll-out of the incapacity benefits reassessment began nationally on 4 April 2011.
	On 20 April 2012 the Department for Work and Pensions published information on the reassessment of incapacity benefits claimants for employment and support allowance (ESA) on a national, regional and local authority level, which can be found at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/index.php?page=adhoc_analysis_2012_q2
	The geographic breakdown is provided for all incapacity benefits claimants that were referred for reassessment before the end of July 2011 (the latest information available). Decisions made on these claims up until February 2012 are included in these statistics.

Income Support

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of income support in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: Information on the number of people in receipt of income support in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside, the North East and the UK is available on the Department's website at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf

Independent Living Fund

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to publish the findings of the Government's Independent Living Fund consultation.

Esther McVey: The consultation on the Future of the Independent Living Fund closed on 12 October 2012 and work is under way to analyse the 2,000 responses received.
	We will respond as soon as practicably possible, but it is essential that we take whatever time is necessary to properly consider the opinions of each individual and organisation who responded.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK have applied online for jobseeker's allowance in each of the last five years.

Mark Hoban: This information is not available in the format requested. The information which is available to us is detailed in the following tables:
	
		
			 Jobseeker allowance claims made online August 2009 to March 2010 
			  Number 
			 Great Britain 114,096 
			 Source: HPES Jobseekers Allowance Online Portal 
		
	
	
		
			 Jobseeker allowance claims made online: Number 
			 August 2010 to March 2011  
			 Jarrow 232 
			 South Tyneside 597 
			 North East (Durham and Tees Valley and Northumbria Tyne and Wear Districts 8,967 
			 Great Britain 207,993 
			   
		
	
	
		
			 April 2011 to March 2012  
			 Jarrow 623 
			 South Tyneside 1,615 
			 North East (Durham and Tees Valley and Northumbria Tyne and Wear Districts 23,438 
			 Great Britain 543,12 
			   
			 April 2012 to 7 October 2012  
			 Jarrow 670 
			 South Tyneside 1,634 
			 North East (Durham and Tees Valley and Northumbria Tyne and Wear Districts 25,234 
			 Great Britain 527,343 
			 Source: Management Information System Programme

Jobseeker’s Allowance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Capita staff are employed in the delivery of jobseeker's allowance online; and which of his Department's computer systems they have access to.

Mark Hoban: There are currently 170 people deployed by Capita on the delivery of this service. They have access to the following computer systems:
	Customer Information Service—allows limited access to claimant records;
	Call Booking System—used to schedule an outbound call to a claimant and will also allocate outbound calls to staff;
	Labour Market System—allows Capita to input notes regarding the claimant's new claim that Jobcentre staff may find useful;
	Rapide—text messaging system;
	Customer Management System—used to gather information for a customer's initial claim to jobseeker’s allowance;
	Factual Information Network Database—internet based system which enables staff to find a claimant's local Jobcentre;
	DWP intranet—is required to use the Factual Information Network Database; and
	Call Logger—is used by agents to measure the length of the call.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what security and monitoring systems he has put in place to track jobseeker's allowance data accessed by employees of Capita.

Mark Hoban: Capita have a secure unit dedicated to delivering work on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and they use DWP equipment. The Capita agents have undergone exactly the same training and security learning as DWP staff and they also complete annual security e-learning.
	The DWP Operational Security Team undertakes standard ‘health check’ visits and the latest visit confirmed that Capita were fully complying with DWP security standards. All data are handled under the same guidelines and controls as they would be in DWP.

Long-Term Unemployed People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in long-term unemployment reported in the Labour Market Statistics published by the Office for National Statistics on 17 October 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Long-term unemployment has been rising since 2008, driven by the recession. Between 2008 and 2010 the number of people ILO unemployed for 12 months or more doubled from 380,000 to 780,000. Since then the rate of increase has slowed significantly, rising a further 15% to 897,000. These trends are consistent with previous experience following recessions: even as overall unemployment levels out, long-term unemployment can rise for a time as earlier periods of higher inflows into unemployment are still affecting numbers reaching durations of one year or more. The Government's Youth Contract and Work programme have been put in place to ensure that those becoming long-term unemployed continue to get the help and support they need to look for and find employment.
	In addition to the trends above, long-term unemployment has been affected by recent changes in the way duration is recorded. Under previous policies people were required to move off jobseeker's allowance after a certain point, either to a training allowance or temporary job. Those who later came back to JSA were counted as newly unemployed and this had the effect of holding the number of long duration claims at a much lower level than would have been the case given natural off-flow rates. Now individuals taking up work experience opportunities or entering the Work programme remain on JSA until they find a regular job. As their claim is not broken artificially, more people are staying on JSA and moving into longer durations and the number claiming for 12 months or more is rising. Although this relates directly to long-term claimant unemployment, it would also be expected to have some effect on the broader ILO measure of unemployment.

Olympic Games 2012

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the London Olympics on the Labour Market Statistics by the Office for National Statistics on 17 October 2012.

Mark Hoban: The Department has not made a formal assessment of the impact of the London Olympics on the labour market statistics. This is consistent with the ONS approach, where it does not normally seek to identify the impact of one-off events from movements in a time series because of the difficulty of distinguishing its significance from other factors.
	Recent Labour Force Survey figures however show that:
	the number of people in work was rising before the period covered by the Games: in April-June 2012 employment rose 200,000 on the previous quarter, of which 99,000 was in London.
	the Games may have contributed to a rise in temporary jobs in June-August 2012, up 58,000 compared to March-May 2012. However the increase in temporary employees accounts for only a minority of the overall quarterly rise in employment of 212,000.
	over the last year as a whole, employment has risen by over half a million, nearly 70% of which came outside London.

Pensioners: British Nationals Abroad

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to bring forward proposals to allow the uprating of expatriates' frozen pensions; and what recent steps he has taken in this regard.

Steve Webb: There are no plans or proposals to change the long standing arrangements for payment of UK state pension paid overseas.

Pensioners: Personal Income

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average weekly income was of people receiving state pension entitlements in Denton and Reddish constituency in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many people received such entitlements.

Steve Webb: Statistics on average state pension entitlement and numbers of people in receipt of state pension in Denton and Reddish parliamentary constituency are available from 100% data and published on the Department's website at:
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/sp/tabtool_sp.html
	Notes:
	1. To access the data, select ‘Average weekly amount of benefit’—‘Parliamentary Constituency of Claimant (Westminster)’—‘Gender of claimant’—‘NONE’—select the date you require. Repeat using ‘Caseload (Thousands)’.
	2. Data is currently available between May 2002 and February 2012.

Pensioners: Poverty

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in poverty in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK in each year since 2007.

Steve Webb: Estimates of pensioner poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income series. The most commonly used measure of pensioner poverty relates to those people with income below 60% of contemporary median income, after housing costs. This is often referred to as relative poverty.
	The smallest geographical breakdown available for the overall numbers in poverty is at Government office region level. Therefore, information is not available for (a) Glasgow North West constituency or (b) Glasgow, but is available for (c) Scotland and (d) the UK.
	Three-year averages are used to report regional statistics as single-year estimates are subject to volatility.
	The information is already published and can be found in Table 6.11ts (on page 238) of the Households Below Average Income series published at
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/hbai2011/index.php?page=contents
	(ISBN 978-1-78153-046-7). Single year figures for the United Kingdom can be found in Table 6.3tr (on page 208).

Pensioners: Poverty

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to reduce poverty among pensioners in Glasgow North West constituency.

Steve Webb: The Government want all pensioners to have a decent and secure income in retirement. We have restored the earnings link for the basic state pension and given a triple guarantee that the basic state pension will increase by the highest of the growth in average earnings, price increases (as measured by the consumer prices index) or 2.5%. This measure will mean that the average person retiring on a full state pension in 2012 can expect to receive around an additional £15,000 in basic state pension over their retirement than under the old system.
	We are protecting support for older people such as: winter fuel payments; free bus passes; free television licences for those aged 75 and over; free eye tests and free NHS prescription charges as well as making permanent the increase to cold weather payments from £8.50 to £25.
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his Budget, on 21 March 2012, that the Government will reform the state pensions system to introduce a single tier pension for future pensioners. These reforms will usher in a simpler and fairer system that reduces the need for means testing and rewards saving. The Government will publish further information about the proposed reforms in a White Paper later this autumn.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on people who act as carers and will no longer be eligible for carer's allowance due to the move to the personal independence payment; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The available information is published in the personal independence payment (PIP) impact assessment (May 2012). The impact on carer's is covered in paragraphs 23-26. This can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dla-reform-wr2011-ia.pdf

Personal Independence Payment

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people there are in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency who act as carers but will no longer be eligible for carer's allowance due to the move to personal independence payments.

Esther McVey: The available information is published in the personal independence payment (PIP) impact assessment (May 2012). The impact on carer's is covered in paragraphs 23-26. This can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dla-reform-wr2011-ia.pdf
	Information on current carer's allowance caseloads at a parliamentary constituency level can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html

Personal Independence Payment

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the potential changes in the number of claimants for personal independence payment compared with those for disability living allowance.

Esther McVey: The latest draft of the Personal Independence Payment Assessment criteria and thresholds was published for consultation in January 2012. It included estimates of the likely PIP benefit caseload in 2015-16, compared to the projected working age DLA caseload had PIP not been introduced. These estimates, which were based on the second draft of the assessment criteria have been broken down by each of the benefit rate combinations.
	A Government response to the consultation and the PIP assessment criteria regulations will be published later this year.

Scotland

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many inquiries his Department has received from Members of the Scottish Parliament on reserved constituency issues in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: DWP Chief Operating Officer Correspondence Unit received 281 constituent inquiries from Members of the Scottish Parliament in the last 12 months. Figures are not available for inquiries received in the Department outside this Unit.

Social Fund

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications were made for Social Fund (a) community care grants and (b) crisis loans in each month since April 2010.

Mark Hoban: Table 1 provides the total number of applications made to the Social Fund for crisis loans and community care grants in each month since April 2010.
	
		
			 Table 1: Total number of applications for Crisis Loans and Community Care Grants made in each month since April 2010 
			  Crisis loans Community care grants 
			 April 2010 296,100 54,000 
			 May 2010 269,200 55,000 
			 June 2010 300,600 51,600 
			 July 2010 292,600 51,100 
			 August 2010 283,900 47,800 
			 September 2010 299,500 53,200 
			 October 2010 268,000 53,300 
			 November 2010 278,700 58,200 
			 December 2010 240,800 36,900 
			 January 2011 302,500 41,200 
			 February 2011 288,400 49,300 
			 March 2011 301,100 61,300 
			 April 2011 208,000 41,800 
			 May 2011 240,700 51,800 
			 June 2011 230,800 50,500 
			 July 2011 220,800 52,400 
			 August 2011 221,300 47,000 
			 September 2011 221,700 50,200 
		
	
	
		
			 October 2011 197,400 49,400 
			 November 2011 196,400 56,100 
			 December 2011 170,600 40,500 
			 January 2012 233,000 45,900 
			 February 2012 222,300 51,200 
			 March 2012 222,800 51,400 
			 April 2012 189,000 46,200 
			 May 2012 210,700 49,500 
			 June 2012 192,600 42,100 
			 July 2012 213,500 47,300 
			 August 2012 205,600 43,500 
			 September 2012 190,900 42,200 
			 Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. The figures relate to applications, not people. Individuals can apply for and receive more than one Social Fund Loan in any given year. 3. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Social Security Benefits

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish an updated version of nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP benefit claimants (February 2011 working age benefits).

Mark Hoban: We have no current plans to update the ad hoc statistical release on the nationality of benefit claimants that was published in January this year.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance have been subject to a benefit sanction in each year since 2008.

Mark Hoban: Statistics on how many lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance who have been subject to a benefit sanction since 2008 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of JSA lone parent claimants who have had a sanction applied January 2008 - April 2012 
			  Number of JSA lone parent claimants 
			 January 2008 - December 2008 1,340 
			 January 2009 - December 2009 4,970 
			 January 2010 - December 2010 14,070 
			 January 2011 - December 2011 20,580 
			 January 2012 - April 2012 8,940 
			 Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Source: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database; JSA Lone Parent Spells database

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the reasons for which lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance have been referred for a benefit sanction.

Mark Hoban: Jobseeker's allowance lone parent claimants are referred for a benefit sanction for the same reasons as any other jobseeker's allowance claimant, for example failing to attend an advisory interview. For a complete list see the DWP tabulation tool:
	http://83.244.183.180/sanction/sanction/LIVE/tabtool.html

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the right of citizens of the EU and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of EU member states; 
	(1)  what his policy is on the provision of social assistance to nationals of EU member States when such nationals have resided in the UK for less than three months;
	(2)  what his policy is on the provision of social assistance to nationals of EU member states; and when such nationals are resident in the UK on the basis of Article 14(4)(b) of the Directive.

Mark Hoban: All European economic area [EEA] nationals have, under Directive 2004/38/EC, a right to reside in another member state for an initial period of three months, without the requirement to be self sufficient. Individuals with this right to reside would not meet the first requirement of the habitual residence test and would not usually have access to social assistance such as income related jobseeker's allowance, income-based employment and support allowance, income support, state pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	If during or after this period an EEA national can demonstrate that they are a ‘qualified person’ they would continue to have a right to reside.
	The Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 transpose this into UK law and define a qualified person as someone who is a self-sufficient person or a student; a worker or a self-employed person; or a job seeker.
	EEA nationals (and their family members) who are economically inactive, such as students and persons who are not in work or seeking employment, are required to be self-sufficient and have comprehensive medical insurance. They therefore cannot access social assistance such as income related jobseeker's allowance, income-based employment and support allowance, income support, state pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	EEA nationals (and their family members) who demonstrate that they have and retain worker status or who are self-employed have a right to reside which allows them access to social assistance such as income related jobseeker's allowances income-based employment and support allowance, income support, state pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	EEA nationals (and their family members) who are work seekers have a right to reside (under Article 14(4) (b) of the Directive) which allows access to some social assistance but is limited to income related jobseeker's allowance and in some circumstances housing benefit and council tax benefit, but would not be eligible for other social assistance such as income-based employment and support allowance, income support and state pension credit.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from the European Commission on compliance with obligations to provide benefits to nationals of other EU countries in the UK under Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the coordination of social security systems.

Mark Hoban: On 29 September 2011 the Government received a communication from the European Commission in the form of a Reasoned Opinion in which the Commission states that the application of the ‘Right to Reside Test’ to claims for certain residence-based non-contributory benefits constitutes an unjustified discrimination prohibited by the EU regulations on social security co-ordination.
	The Government responded in November 2011 and we have not had any further representation from the Commission on this issue since then.
	We have a legal duty to provide support to people who come to this country, in line with our national and international obligations. It is also necessary to protect the taxpayer and the benefit system from possible abuse. It is unacceptable that we should be asked to open our welfare system to people who have never worked or contributed in the United Kingdom and have no intention of doing so.
	We need to make sure that the rules which apply when people from outside the UK come here do not allow people to take inappropriate advantage of our benefit system and the Government are committed to ensuring that the rules governing the payment of benefits to people from abroad are kept under review.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what entitlement nationals of other EU countries have to benefits in the UK when they have resided in the UK for less than three months on the basis of Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the right of citizens of the EU and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of EU member states; and which provision of EU law creates such an entitlement;
	(2)  what advice he has received on which forms of state support in the UK are covered by the term social assistance in Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the right of citizens of the EU and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of EU member states;
	(3)  whether his Department is making any preparation in respect of the European Commission taking the Government to the European Court of Justice in respect of the UK's compliance with its obligations to provide benefits to nationals of other EU countries under Regulation (EC) No 883/2004.

Mark Hoban: Directive 2004/38/EC, which amends and repeals various other regulations and directives, gives effect to the right of citizens of the European Union (EU) and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of EU member states. This direction was transposed into UK law by the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006.
	Access to the UK benefit system, including social assistance, for European economic area (EEA) nationals, depends on the situation of the individual and whether they meet the UK Habitual Residence Test conditions. This test has two elements; a legal right to reside and an objective assessment of factual evidence of habitual residence. An EEA national can satisfy the right to reside element, if they can demonstrate they are a qualified person for the purpose of benefit receipt.
	All EEA nationals have, under Directive 2004/38/EC, a right to reside in another member state for an initial period of three months. They do not have a requirement to be self sufficient but they should not be an unreasonable burden on the social assistance system of the host member state in that period. Individuals with this right to reside would also be subject to the Habitual Residence Test and so would not usually have access to social assistance.
	After the first three months, EEA nationals and their family members who are economically inactive, such as students and persons who are not in work or seeking employment, are required to be self-sufficient and have comprehensive medical insurance. They therefore cannot access social assistance.
	At any time, EEA nationals and their family members who demonstrate that they have and retain worker status or who are self-employed have a right to reside which allows them access to social assistance.
	At any time, EEA nationals and their family members who are work seekers have a right to reside which allows access to some social assistance but this is limited to income related jobseeker's allowance and in some circumstance housing benefit and council tax benefit. They would not be eligible for other social assistance.
	The regulations and directives do not provide a clear definition of what constitutes social assistance. Our legal advice indicates that social assistance would include the Department's means tested benefits which are income related jobseeker's allowance, income-based employment and support allowance, income support, state pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	On 29 September 2011, the Government received a Reasoned Opinion from the European Commission in which they state that the application of the 'Right to Reside Test' to claims for certain residence-based non-contributory benefits is unjustified discrimination prohibited by the EU regulations on social security coordination. The Government responded in November 2011, setting out our arguments as to why the Habitual Residence Test does not unlawfully discriminate against EU citizens. We have not had any further formal representation from the Commission on this issue since then.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on disability benefits have had their benefits taken away due to fraud on their part in each of the last five years.

Esther McVey: Information on the numbers of disability benefit claims that have been ended due to claimant fraud, in each of the last five years, is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Data on DLA claims disallowed are available however it is not possible to identify whether these disallowances are due to claimant fraud.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants who have been asked to attend Atos assessments have died (a) before the assessment was undertaken and (b) within a two month period of the assessment taking place.

Mark Hoban: In July 2012, the Department published information on deaths of recipients of incapacity benefits. This can be found at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2012/incap_decd_recips_0712.pdf
	Table 3 of this publication shows the numbers leaving ESA between January and November 2011 with a recorded date of death. In this period, 2,200 people died before the assessment was completed.
	The following table shows the number of claimants that left ESA between January and November 2011 with a recorded date of death within two months of completion of their most recent assessment.
	
		
			 Claimants leaving ESA between January and November 2011 with a recorded date of death within two months of completion of their most recent assessment 
			 WCA Outcome at most recent assessment Number of claimants leaving ESA with a recorded date of death within two months of completion of the assessment 
			 Work Related Activity Group 300 
			 Support Group 2,100 
			 Total 2,400 
			 Notes: 1. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. 2. The date of completion of the assessment is defined as the date of the decision maker's decision if it has been made otherwise it is classed as the date of the Atos assessment. These figures include those cases where the claimant died after the Atos assessment but received a decision after they had died.

Social Security Benefits: Young People

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged (a) 19, (b) 20 and (c) 21 years were in receipt of (i) jobseeker's allowance, (ii) housing benefit and (iii) both jobseeker's allowance and housing benefit in (A) Ashfield constituency, (B) Nottinghamshire, (C) the East Midlands and (D) England and Wales in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Jobseekers allowance claimants in Ashfield parliamentary constituency, Nottinghamshire, the east midlands, England and Wales by age: February 2012 
			 JSA claimants 
			  England Wales The east midlands Nottinghamshire Ashfield parliamentary constituency 
			 Total of all claimants 1,356,640 83,210 114,390 17,980 2,910 
			 Age      
			 19 67,660 4,990 6,400 1,100 210 
			 20 68,480 4,720 6,150 1,070 180 
			 21 62,360 4,420 5,530 930 150 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures include “credit” only cases. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 
		
	
	The number of recipients who claim housing benefit (HB) and jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) and housing benefit (HB) together is not available.

State Retirement Pensions

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency receive state pension entitlements; and what the average weekly income was of such people in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: Statistics on the number of people in receipt of state pension and the average state pension entitlement in Kilmarnock and Loudoun parliamentary constituency are available from 100% data and published on the Department's website at:
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/sp/tabtool_sp.html
	Notes:
	1. To access the data, select ‘Caseload (Thousands)’—‘Parliamentary Constituency of Claimant (Westminster)’—‘Gender of claimant’—‘NONE’—select the date you require. Repeat using ‘Average weekly amount of benefit’.
	2. Data is currently available between May 2002 and February 2012.

Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 12W, on training, what the cost was of the training; and which company provided the training.

Mark Hoban: The name of the company which provided the training was Sara Jones Associates Ltd. The fee charged is commercially sensitive.

Universal Credit

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans that callers to the universal credit helpline number will be charged.

Mark Hoban: From October 2013 it is anticipated that one freephone number for ‘How to claim’ and ‘online help’ taking claimants to an agent will be available for universal credit. One local chargeable number for all other contacts will be introduced.

Universal Credit

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to introduce local offices to assist universal credit claimants in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the North East; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: There are no plans to open additional offices to assist universal credit claimants. Claimants will be able to make their universal credit claims on line and will be able to access assistance by telephone. Local arrangements may be put in place with other organisations, such as local authorities, to provide universal credit claimants with advice and assistance. A face-to-face service will be available in jobcentres, as now, to support people in their jobsearch and for vulnerable claimants.

Unsecured Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider reinstating the option of higher income drawdown capacity for people whose income is likely to reduce by 40% under the drawdown limits introduced in April 2011.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	The Government continually keep all aspects of their policies under review and are committed to maintaining flexibility for those with drawdown arrangements.

Vacancies

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to promote vacancies in the care sector to those on jobseeker's allowance.

Mark Hoban: As a condition of entitlement to jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants enter into a jobseeker's agreement in which they agree the steps they will take to improve their chances of finding work.
	As part of this discussion advisers discuss and promote suitable occupations, relevant vacancies and apprenticeships, including those in the care sector, to those claimants who have the necessary skills, experience and qualifications to work in this sector.
	The Department takes vacancies from employers within the care sector which are displayed on its vacancy site, Jobs and Skills, which is accessed through gov.co.uk. These vacancies are accessible to all jobseekers, including those claiming JSA.
	Where the local labour market supports this and the local care employers are receptive to using this approach for filling their vacancies, Jobcentre Plus districts have also utilised the sector-based work academy initiative to develop a tailored package of support for JSA claimants to move into jobs within the care sector. Sector-based work academies consist of a short period of pre-employment training, a work experience placement and a guaranteed job interview.

Vacancies

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many vacancies in the care sector are currently being advertised in job centres in (a) East Lancashire, (b) the North West and (c) England.

Mark Hoban: The information is as follows:
	(a) There are 321 vacancies in the health and social work sector currently being advertised for job centres in East Lancashire;
	(b) There are 5,292 vacancies in the health and social work sector currently being advertised for job centres in the North West; and
	(c) There are 28,431 vacancies in the health and social work sector currently being advertised for job centres in England.
	Source:
	Vacancies—Notified by industry from the National Online Manpower Information service (NOMIS) part of the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on 16 October 2012.

Welfare Reform Act 2012

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who will receive reduced benefit payments as a result of implementation of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Mark Hoban: The Welfare Reform Act introduces a wide range of reforms to make the benefits and tax credits system fairer and simpler by:
	creating the right incentives to get more people into work
	protecting the most vulnerable in our society
	delivering fairness to those claiming benefit and to the tax payer.
	Estimated impacts of these reforms are published in the detailed impact assessments and equality impact assessments.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2012, Official Report, column 1098W, on work capability assessment: appeals, how many people found fit for work under the work capability assessment have subsequently died within (a) three, (b) six and (c) 12 months of the assessment decision in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.
	Data on the number of ESA claimants who have died following a Fit for Work decision are not available, as the Department does not hold information on a death if the person has already left benefit.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 21 March 2012, Official Report, column 706W, on Atos Healthcare, on how many occasions a Decision Maker from his Department did not follow the recommendation of Atos Healthcare when making a decision on the eligibility of a claimant for employment and support allowance in each month since May 2010.

Mark Hoban: The following table shows the number of occasions where the DWP decision maker made a different decision to the Atos recommendation for assessments in each month between May 2010 and February 2012 (the latest data available).
	
		
			 Number of occasions where the DWP decision was different to the Atos recommendation each month between May 2010 and February 2012 
			 Month of assessment DWP decision differs from Atos recommendation 
			 May 2010 900 
			 June 2010 900 
			 July 2010 1,100 
			 August 2010 1,200 
			 September 2010 1,200 
			 October 2010 1,900 
			 November 2010 2,600 
			 December 2010 2,300 
			 January 2011 2,700 
			 February 2011 3,100 
			 March 2011 3,600 
			 April 2011 2,800 
			 May 2011 3,100 
			 June 2011 2,800 
			 July 2011 2,100 
			 August 2011 1,900 
			 September 2011 1,600 
			 October 2011 1,400 
			 November 2011 1,500 
			 December 2011 1,200 
			 January 2012 1,800 
			 February 2012 2,300 
			 Notes: 1. These figures do not include WCAs completed on incapacity benefit reassessment (IBR) claims. The Department has published initial findings on the outcomes of IBR, which can be found on the Departmental website here: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_ibr 2. The table includes initial assessments only and the numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average length of a call, including the time spent on hold, to his Department's 0800 2888 777 number for contacting Atos Healthcare in relation to the work capability assessment in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 to date.

Mark Hoban: The average call length, including time spent on hold, to the Atos Healthcare Contact Centre 0800 2888 777 helpline number is as follows:
	
		
			  Minutes 
			 2010 12 
			 2011 1 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 (to date) 2

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the average number of calls per (a) day, (b) week and (c) month to his Department's 0800 2888 777 number for contacting Atos Healthcare in relation to the work capability assessment.

Mark Hoban: The average number of calls received by the Atos Healthcare Contact Centre (on 0800 2888 777) during 2012 (to date) is:
	
		
			  Number of calls 
			 Daily average 3,353 
			 Weekly average 20,115 
			 Monthly average 88,525

Work Capability Assessment

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work capability assessments by Atos Healthcare have been carried out in the homes of claimants in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency.

Mark Hoban: The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Work Capability Assessment

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of people in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency who have died within (a) three, (b) six and (c) 12 months of being found fit for work under the work capability assessment.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.
	Data on the number of ESA claimants that have died following a fit for work decision are not available, as the Department does not hold information on a death if the person has already left benefit.

Work Capability Assessment

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department provides to contractors undertaking work capability assessment as to the length of time each assessment should take; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The length of time a work capability assessment takes can vary. This can be between 20 minutes and 90 minutes and depends on an individual's medical condition. The length of time for an assessment is not included in the contract between DWP and Atos Healthcare or the Medical Services Appointment Allocation Guide.

Work Programme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of those leaving custody who have participated in the Work programme on release have (a) gained employment and (b) enrolled in education or training since its inception.

Mark Hoban: The data requested are not available. Official statistics on job outcomes are expected to be available from autumn 2012.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the financial health of Work programme providers.

Mark Hoban: DWP has an ongoing process of monitoring the financial viability and risk of suppliers post contract award. This is undertaken on a basis of materiality and criticality and involves the review of a number of sources of financial and commercial intelligence. Suppliers are assessed and rated according to perceived risk which determines the nature of follow up action required. As a minimum, each supplier is reviewed on an annual basis.
	All Work programme suppliers are included in this monitoring process and are prioritised due to their critical status.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Work programme on (a) long-term unemployment amongst women, (b) long-term unemployment amongst lone parents and (c) in-work progression.

Mark Hoban: An independent evaluation has been commissioned to explore the employment outcomes and experience of in-work progression for all key claimant groups including women and lone parents. The evaluation will begin reporting in November 2012, with a final report due in 2014-15.